Breakaway Bella
by Hoodfabulous
Summary: Sparks fly and tempers flare when Memphis bartender, Bella Swan, meets crime boss, Edward Cullen. All she wants to do is run. He'll chase her to the ends of the Earth. She thinks he's an arrogant jerk. He thinks she's hiding something. He's right. Rated M for 'streaking Emmett' and Carmen and Tia's dirty mouths. Lemons/Language/Drama/Romance/Humor/Adventure/Myst ery/Suspense
1. Chapter 1: Mississippi Pines

_FYI: This work of fanfiction contains mature themes at times. Please read at your discretion._

_Disclaimer: The following is a work of fanfiction using characters from the Twilight world, which is trademarked by Stephenie Meyer. I do not claim ownership of said characters. If I were as rich as her, I'd be sitting on a beach somewhere sipping fruity drinks, not toiling away at the old folks' home. No copyright infringement is intended. No squirrels were harmed in the making of this fic._

_Dedicated to my real life_

_Carmen, who encouraged me to take_

_a terrifying stab at fanfiction,_

_and for Tia,_

_for just being a trill-ass homie._

_Y'all mean the world to me._

_This is for you._

**CHAPTER ONE: MISSISSIPPI PINES**

It was only by chance, or some late night chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream cravings, that led to me laying face down in aisle five of a small grocery store in a slightly shady part of Memphis at two a.m.

In the front of the store stood two masked men armed with guns, robbing the store. I hadn't really paid attention to my surroundings as I'd made my way to the freezer section, and I now realized that super absorbent tampons and foot-long maxi pads surrounded me. Great. I'm gonna die in the feminine hygiene aisle. Just my luck.

To my left, also laying face down, was a tiny, raven haired girl; a shapely blonde Amazon beauty; and a thin man wearing shiny leather pants, a cropped top, and rocking a spiky do, brown with frosted tips. It was a true travesty of a hairstyle, and I could tell immediately, before this man even opened his mouth, that he had a little sugar in his tank. The girls were relatively calm. Their friend was not.

"OMG, Roooose! We are going to die!" he sobbed and wailed, rather loudly considering attracting unwanted attention probably wasn't the best idea. "What are we going to do? Our Las Vegas trip! Celine Dion! I'll never get to see her in concert!"

"Shut up!" admonished the Amazon goddess between gritted teeth, her bright red lips stretched out against her pearly whites. "You are going to get us killed."

"Think, Rose! Think!" he moaned, sweat forming on his brow, dark smudges beneath his watery blue eyes. Was he wearing eyeliner? "This is your specialty…getting out of these situations! Do something!"

"If the two of you would please keep it down, I'm formulating a plan in my head. But it's kind of hard to do with the two of you yapping!" the tiny, dark-haired girl whispered.

She was twitching and practically vibrating with excitement. Her eyes were bright and darting all about her, taking everything in at one time. Her eyes would flash to her friends and then to me.

I broke her gaze when one of the two masked men quickly trotted down our aisle. He was wearing all black, from head to toe, standing about 5-foot, 6-inches tall and severely pigeon-toed from his gait. Dark brown eyes glared at us through the cut-out hole on his mask. The only other distinguishing feature about the man was that he was holding a relatively small, black pistol.

The theatrics and production of the thin man laying near me dissolved into quiet sniffles as the masked man approached. He met my eyes and I quickly planted my right cheek back on the dirty floor of aisle five. My heart was beating so loudly in my chest, I imagined my neighbors could feel it through the floor. My face positioned towards them, I noticed the raven haired girl and thin man were copying me, face on the floor, looking anywhere but at our assailant.

"Alright people. Listen up," the masked man growled down at us. "Hand over your purses, wallets, jewelry, and anything valuable."

Begrudgingly, I reached into my jeans pocket, pulling out the pitiful wad of tip money I had made that night waiting tables. I held it up to the man with a trembling hand. He snatched it from me, staring down at the pathetic wad in a disbelieving stare. My neighbors shoved expensive looking watches, earrings, and designer purses towards the man, but he never looked down. His stare went from my sweaty wad of cash to my terrified brown eyes.

"This is all you have?" he demanded in a disbelieving tone, gripping the cash tightly in his left hand while pointing the gun down at me with his right one.

"Y…y…yes, sir," I answered softly, my customary politeness creeping through.

Being raised in the South, I was unnaturally polite to everyone, including the man who was wielding a pistol at me.

The man's eyes changed rapidly in that moment from evil to slightly maniacal and entertaining. I watched through my tears at the cut-out below his eyes as he began licking his lips. His eyes begin to shine and he crouched down near me. Cowering away and turning my head, I met the eyes of the tiny raven haired girl and her sympathetic gaze. There was a look of understanding and pain etched on her face as though she knew what was about to happen and felt extreme pity for me.

A peculiar knot began to form in the pit of my stomach and a wave of realization and painful, unwanted memories assaulted me as I too understood what was about to happen.

"Well then, I guess you're going to have to pay me in other ways," the man hissed, grabbing my hair and twisting a handful around his hand.

He yanked me up from the floor as I yelped in pain and horror, and he jerked me up on wobbly legs. I screamed my protests and he paused, momentarily, and gave me an option.

"Fine. If you don't wanna pay up I'll just have to collect from someone else," he growled, his gaze settling on the two women at our feet.

I gazed down at their eyes, simultaneously angry and scared. The blonde goddess glared at me and the tiny dark-haired girl just stared at me solemnly as if she already knew her fate. But how could I do that to someone? How could I willingly inflict pain and horror on an innocent person? I couldn't be like this man beside me. So I knew what I had to do.

"Take me," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.

The man laughed maniacally and twisted my hair even tighter around his hand. I slid across the floor as he dragged me down the aisle, ignoring the protests of my wide-eyed former aisle five companions.

"Tony," the man barked as we approached the front of the store.

Tony was emptying one of the cash registers. A teenage boy wearing an ugly blue smock lay nearby, still as death as blood trickled from his nose. I sighed in relief as the boy's chest rose and fell periodically, indicating that he was, indeed, alive. Tony stopped what he was doing momentarily to look at my assailant and then at me, venom in his eyes.

"What are you doing, Vic?" he spat, cleaning out the rest of the cash and slamming the drawer shut. "We've got to finish here and move out before the cops show up. I'm not going back to jail."

"It won't take long," Vic spat back, twisting my hair around his hand a little tighter and laughing at the bark of pain that erupted from my lips. "I've got to collect from this little tramp and then we can leave. There's all kinds of valuables on aisle five near the expensive looking broads. Grab that stuff and let me finish with her. I'm gonna see if this mouth-of-the-South tastes as sweet as she sounds."

Tony nodded at him grimly, demanded that he make it quick, and the next thing I knew I was being yanked to the back of the store, passing down aisle five again, and ignoring the pathetic sympathy-filled eyes of its occupants as we entered a small office. Vic slammed the door shut behind him, shoving me against a rickety metal desk. He placed the gun nearby on a metal filing cabinet and slowly began stalking towards me. My ass pressed painfully into the metal desk as I tried with everything in me to pull away from him as he approached.

"There's no way out. No way to escape," he whispered, grabbing me to him roughly, his hands in a vice gripe on my upper arms.

Pain shot through me as he squeezed my arms tightly. He pressed his lips to mine and forced his tongue inside of my mouth, making my stomach roll. The urge to puke on him was almost impossible to keep down as fresh memories invaded my mind.

Flashbacks of the last time this happened to me raced through my brain. The person I thought I was changed while in that tiny office, morphing into someone else entirely. The will to live surged throughout my body. I would not give up. I would not quit. I would not die. This would not be my demise. I may not have much of a life, but it was a life, and it was mine. I was going to fight for it, even if it did end up killing me.

So I did something so bizarre, so daring, that even the henchman was caught off guard. I responded. I kissed him back, trying to envision him as the hot guy on the cover of the vampire books that I'd recently become addicted to. The man became so perturbed as my tongue swirled around his that his grip on my arms loosened and he momentary broke away from me, staring at me with a questioning glare, and releasing me. He stepped back and cocked his head sideways and stared at me in confusion.

"I don't want to die a virgin…." I said in a breathy whisper, hopefully sounding seductive, although I typically felt like I was born lacking that trait.

I twisted a long lock of my brown hair around my finger and batted my eyelashes in an alluring way.

The man moaned in pleasure, but before he could take a step towards me, I took all my anger and aggression and used it to shove the heel of my hand into his nose. His head snapped back at the force. He screamed and grabbed at his face as blood began soaking the black mask, making it even darker in color. As his hands reached for his face, I grasped his shoulders and shoved my right knee as hard as I could into his groin. The man doubled over, hitting the floor, and I began kicking him with my size seven, brown leather cowboy boots…my favorite ones with the flower pattern stitching.

He continued to scream as I kicked him over and over. I began pounding him with my fists; my thin white eyelet shirt became covered with blood. I saw red. I saw black. My vision flooded with another man's face as I pounded my attacker. He screamed after each blow. As I became slightly weary, I hopped away from him and grabbed the gun from the top of the filing cabinet. My mind became blank as I trained the gun at his face, disregarding his pleas for his life, and squeezing the trigger. A disappointing click sounded. I stared at the gun, confused as I pulled the trigger over and over only to hear the click.

"It…it's not loaded," the man gasped, blood momentarily cutting off his airway.

I stalked towards him, infuriated that this man had the gall to hold up a store and attack me with an unloaded weapon. It was almost comical the way the man scooted backwards away from me, slipping and sliding against papers that had fallen from the desk and littered the office floor. In a flash I was on the man again and pistol whipped him into unconsciousness.

I cleaned the gun thoroughly with the bottom of the man's shirt and threw it across the floor under the desk.

Hesitantly, I pulled the dark mask away from his face and stared at the man in surprise. He was just a teenager. Probably not too much younger than me, with soft features past the bruising and battering I had inflicted on him. I stood up, pushing away the wave of momentary sympathy, and jumping in shock as the office door swung open.

The blonde woman, Rose, burst through the door, wielding a gun of her own, and looking frantically around the room. She glanced first at me, and then her eyes finally landed on my would-be assailant, passed out cold on the floor.

"Is he dead?" she asked, crouching down and pressing the fingers of her free hand against the side of his neck.

After several seconds of checking his carotid artery, and no response from me, she finally murmured an answer to her own question.

"He's got a pulse. It's faint, but it's there." She straightened up and looked from me to the man in the floor. "You did all that?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and looking me up and down incredulously.

"Who else would have done it?" I snapped, wiping my hands on my jeans and feeling the stress of the night finally weighing down on me.

She narrowed her eyes and snapped back, "God, you don't have to act like such a..."

Rose was quickly interrupted by the small black-haired girl who burst through the door like gangbusters.

"Ohmygoshyou'reokaythankGod!" she screeched, grabbing hold of me and squeezing me in a death-grip hug.

I openly gaped at the pint-sized woman squeezing me into submission, while she jumped up and down in excitement.

"How could you do something like that, you stupid, selfless girl!" she yelled, letting me go and wagging a finger at me.

My mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, but still I couldn't get a word in as she squealed again. "We're gonna be the best of friends, just you wait and see!"

"Calm down, Alice," Rose admonished her, rolling her eyes, raising her head snobbishly, and looking down her elegant nose at me. "You don't even know her. You're probably never going to see her again, and besides, she's just some commoner."

"Commoner!" Alice cried, as I glared at Rose.

Really, who did she think she was? I sacrificed myself to the henchman and this was the thanks I got from her?

"Who do you think you are?" I spat, glowering at Rose. "The Queen of England?"

"No, just the daughter of a senator," she replied smugly, her eyes narrowing down at me even more.

This girl was infuriating! Before I could come up with a comeback, their friend burst through the door.

"The cops are here girls! Do you want to….arrrggghhhhh!" he screamed when he saw me, pressing his hand against his heart, and backing away from the door. "Ewww. You're covered in blood! Disgusting!" he gagged.

He bent over dramatically and took deep breaths. "Let me get my chakras aligned…silence please," he demanded.

"Okay, this is the oddest conversation that I have never been in. The cops are here?" I clarified.

The man finally stood up straight, wrinkling his nose in disgust, and nodded at me. I noticed that he was wearing a flashy silver belt with a loud buckle that screamed 'Mike'.

"Okay, Mike, what happened to the other robber?"

"He's….indisposed," Alice giggled, clapping her hands and jumping around like a pogo stick. "After that guy took you away, Rose and I caught the other guy off guard. Let's just say that he won't be waking up for a few hours, if ever."

The pipsqueak looked considerably proud of herself. She rubbed her hands together like a villain, an evil gleam in her eyes. I shivered as I was temporarily scared of the tiny girl.

Suddenly, we heard the cops calling out for everyone to show themselves. Rose dropped the gun she held and we walked out of the office, hands held up. The very core of my existence filled with dread.

"I…I can't talk to the cops," I hissed and Rose shot me a particularly curious glance.

"Why is that?" she asked suspiciously, looking down at me like I was vermin.

I didn't answer, but merely followed them out of the office and into the store, dreading what was about to happen. I could not let the cops find out who I was. My name could not be released in the papers, and I racked my brain for any ideas on how to avoid that. Only one idea would work and that would be to simply lie to the cops. I hated to lie. I hated liars in general, but that was the only answer I could come up with.

Snubbing Rose, I kept my mouth shut. As we walked up the now familiar aisle five, a robust cop with flaming red hair and a smart navy uniform greeted us. He took in my roughened appearance and questioned me briefly as another cop whisked my newfound friends away. I quickly explained what happened and motioned to the back room where the other assailant lay. The cop moved away and I realized that he'd never even asked me for my name.

Easing through the store towards the front door, I was completely ignored by the other customers and cops. I eventually made my way outside and straight into the middle of a mad house. Cop cars were everywhere, their lights flashing rhythmically against the dark buildings and curious onlookers. The crowd of people were straining against yellow caution tape, trying to get a good look at what was going on in their neighborhood. News vans were parked precariously on the street. A curvy, tan woman with helmet-hair and thick makeup stood in front of a cameraman, and I could catch tidbits of her broadcast.

"If you are just tuning in, we are standing live outside the 158th Street Market. Around two a.m., two men attempted to rob the store and were eventually detained by some of the customers. The details of the robbery are unclear at this time, but our sources say that Rosalie Hale, daughter of Tennessee Senator John Hale, and Alice Cullen, daughter of real estate mogul and alleged local crime boss Carlisle Cullen, were in the store at the time of the robbery. Their roles in this incident are unclear at this time, but we are told by police that they were merely victims and were not involved in the attempted robbery."

As the reporter continued to schmooze the camera, two brawny policemen assisted Rose, Alice, and Mike out of the store. Cameras began flashing along with the lights of the cop cars, and suddenly the street seemed to light up.

I scrambled away towards the yellow tape, hoping to somehow melt into the crowd and disappear into the night. Suddenly, as my former cohorts followed the policemen towards a nearby cop car and ambulance, a man could be heard yelling frantically above all the commotion, and everyone seemed to pause and go quiet.

"ALICE!" the male voice yelled in a frenzy, and a man broke through the crowd, his face masked with worry. "Where is my sister?" he screamed, breaking through the crowd and grasping at the yellow tape.

Suddenly the crowd became alive, yelling at the man "Edward! Over here Edward!"

The female reporter looked as though she was about to swoon, and Alice ran screaming towards the man. "I'm okay, Edward! I'm okay!"

Edward tore through the yellow tape as though it were butter, and I watched as it fluttered to the ground. He ran to Alice and swung her around like a rag doll as she giggled. Then he paused, let her down, and took a good long look at her.

"Are you alright? Have you been hurt?" he asked frantically, taking in her appearance.

She shook her head 'no.' He quickly hugged her again while looking towards the sky and seemingly saying a silent prayer.

"There was a girl. She saved us!" Alice squealed, and my heart stopped in my chest for a second before racing at a full gallop.

"Who saved you?" he asked, his thick, dark eyebrows knitted in confusion, looking up at the store front.

I finally snapped out of the haze I'd succumbed to and began to press into the crowd of people just as Alice's eyes fell upon me.

"There she is!" she yelled, pointing directly at me. "That's the girl who saved us!" Her face broke into a grin.

The crowd, helmet-head reporter, and Alice's brother, Edward, all peered in the direction Alice was pointing, and I felt the weight of what seemed like a million eyes on me, but only one pair seemed to matter and they belonged to Edward.

They were green, but the word _green_ couldn't even begin to adequately describe his eyes. Even in the near dark, and several feet away, I could tell you the exact shade of green. Edward's eyes were a vivid pine green, like the tall pine trees that shaded my childhood home back in Mississippi. His eyes were paralyzing, intimidating, and mesmerizing.

As he gazed at me, I stood as still as a statue, unable to move under his penetrating stare. He took in my appearance, blood soaked from my favorite boots up to my face. As Edward's eyes penetrated me, I felt raw, exposed, and splayed open for him to look at. It was as though he could see every thought, every emotion, that I had ever had. It was exciting, exhilarating, and completely uncomfortable. Time stood still, there was no noise or movement. Everything changed when he took one step towards me, for, I did what I do best.

I ran.

Swinging around quickly, I pressed through the disgusted crowd who were shrieking and avoiding my bloody hands as I shoved my way passed. I was only slightly aware of a man yelling and the sound of shuffling behind me, but pure, raw terror overtook me. Adrenaline began pumping through my veins, sending me into a frenzy. It pushed me to run at a full sprint past the crowd, cop cars, ambulances, and news vans, and down the dark street.

I could hear my heart beating through my ears but those green eyes, and the awareness that not only would he question me, but everyone would find out my name, caused me to continue on. I ran block after block, street after street, until I bumped into a man pulling out his keys to enter his building.

"Sorry," I gasped, bending at the waist and placing my hands upon my knees.

Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down until I heard the pounding of feet and a man's voice nearby asking if anyone had seen a woman running in my direction.

Straightening up, I met the eyes of the man I'd bumped into. He was middle-aged and somberly peering at me over a small pair of eyeglasses. Backing into the nearby alleyway, I hid behind a dirty, stinky dumpster, but not before begging the stranger with my eyes not to give me away.

"Excuse me, sir," I heard a hypnotizing voice clearly say, not as out of breath as me. "Have you seen a woman running through here?"

There was a slight pause before the middle-aged man asked, "You mean a pretty girl covered head to toe in blood?"

My eyes filled with tears and my body trembled with resentment and dread.

"Yes!" Edward exclaimed, and I sunk down even further behind the dumpster, the pure terror of being found overwhelming me.

"Nope, haven't seen her," the man answered, and I couldn't stop the relief that took over my body and the smile that spread across my face. There were still gentleman in the world.

"I need to find her," Edward said in a dangerously threatening tone.

My smile quickly melted away, and I suddenly felt sorry for the man.

"Son, I'm not scared of you. Do what you want to me, but I'm not going to tell you where that poor girl went. People like you, beating your wives and girlfriends, you make me sick," the man spat.

I awaited what would happen next as I imagined the poor soul was about to be pummeled. But that didn't happen. I heard keys jangling, the door of the apartment building slamming, and then nothing but a heavy sigh and silence.

I waited several minutes but heard nothing else; there was no scuffling of feet, no hurried steps.

Taking a chance, I peered around the dumpster, out of the alleyway, and at the street. There were no passers-by, no pedestrians, and definitely no Edward.

Sliding down the dirty wall beside the dumpster, I counted to a thousand in my head until I was sure the coast was clear, and I scurried out of the alley. Glancing down both sides of the street, I signed in relief that there was no sign of Edward, police, or reporters. The street was eerily calm as the sun was beginning to rise, and I made my way quickly toward my apartment.

It's funny how people avoid eye contact when you're covered in blood. The few people I did meet on the sidewalk avoided me at all costs, even stepping away from me as I approached them.

Most people who I'd met since moving to Memphis were purely concerned about themselves, except for a few people like my neighbor, Angela. We'd immediately clicked upon meeting one another, but then again, she was a lot like me. She was not born and bred in Memphis, but in Kentucky, and was a sweet, kind, single mother to a chubby little cherub of a baby boy named Eric.

Finally, I'd made it to my building, pulling my key deep from within the pocket of my ruined jeans, and opened the front door. The elevators remained busted, so I trooped up the stairs to the third floor and unlocked my apartment door. Relief washed over me as I quietly shut the door behind me and slid to the floor.

I don't know how long I sat there, but as I imagined the blood from my clothes touching the door, the floor, and anything else that belonged to me, I quickly scrambled up. I locked the door behind me and rushed to my small bathroom.

Ignoring the shower for a minute, I became fascinated as I scrubbed my arms with a bar of white soap. The bubbles turned into a light pink color that made my nose wrinkle in disgust. Once my hands were clean and the bar of soap deposited into a nearby wastebasket, I stripped down naked, kicking my boots to the side, and shoving my bloody clothes into the same wastebasket as the soap. I stepped into the shower, immersing myself under the scalding hot water. The knots and kinks in my body began to dissolved under the spray, and I scrubbed from head to toe about ten times, until finally satisfied that every speck of blood was gone.

Wrapping a large, brown terry-cloth towel tightly around my body, I entered the small kitchen area and poured myself a glass of milk. After downing the milk, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was six a.m.

I wandered into my bedroom and sat on the bed, crossing my legs beneath me, and picking up my phone from the nightstand. There was only one person in the world I wanted to talk to, the only person who understood me, and that person was my cousin, Jasper.

He answered after a few rings, his voice weary with sleep. Apologizing profusely, I quickly explained what happened to me only a few hours ago. I glossed over a few details, like how I'd sacrificed myself for Alice and Rose, so that Jasper wouldn't worry too much, but in the end that didn't really help.

"I'm coming up there," he declared, his Southern drawl more pronounced when he was angry or agitated. I imagined it was the latter.

"Please don't," I begged, knowing that he couldn't possibly take time off from his new job. "I don't want you worrying about me, or coming up here. You may lose your job. You just started there. I just wanted you to know what was going on, just in case…"

I couldn't even explain aloud what 'just in case' might entail, but he seemed to know what I meant.

"I won't lose my job. I need to check on you, make sure you're really okay," he said unconvincingly.

"I'm fine," I muttered. "But if you can't reach me or don't hear from me, please check on me then, okay?"

He agreed and we ended our conversation.

I spent the rest of my day puttering around my tiny apartment, cleaning it from top to bottom, and ignoring the urge to turn on the television or even think about what had happened just hours before. I tried not to concern myself with the fate of the men who'd robbed the store, but no matter how much I told myself they deserved whatever fate had in store for them, I couldn't help but wonder if the man who'd attacked me was okay.

Then I would think of Edward Cullen.

Those green eyes would pop into my mind and I would promptly shove the image away. I tried to keep myself busy to keep my mind occupied, an act that I had learned early on from my grandmother who was in constant motion. After paying some bills online, rearranging my furniture twice, and eating some leftover Chinese food, I was shocked to find that it was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon.

Exhaustion had quickly taken me over and I slid under the purple comforter on my tiny bed. After setting the alarm on my phone for five o'clock and tossing it back on my nightstand, I rested my head down on my pillow and immediately fell into a surprisingly deep, dreamless sleep.

I awoke several hours later, groggy and disoriented. Stretching and rubbing my eyes, I sat up in the bed. The room was dimly lit. In a panic, I reached blindly to my nightstand for the cell phone, knowing from the scant amount of sunlight filtering through my blinds that I'd overslept and was late for work. The towel that was still wrapped around me fell slightly as I reached out and grabbed the phone, pressing a button and illuminating the screen.

Before I could even comprehend the time, the unmistakable sound of a throat clearing broke the silence.

Whipping my head around, I screamed out in alarm. I gripped the towel tightly to my chest as I met the eyes of a man sitting comfortably in a chair beside a tiny old bookshelf in my room.

The man was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, dressed in a smart, expensive looking grey suit with a pink silk tie. My well-worn copy of Emily Dickinson poetry lay open in his hands. As he brought the book down from in front of his face, I was close enough to see that he'd been reading a page I'd dog-eared.

The man was disgustingly handsome, but not in an obvious way. He had very sharp details, high cheek bones, and a slightly flat nose. His hair was an odd copper-penny color and was in disarray as though he'd run his hands through it many times.

His most interesting feature, however, were his vivid, Mississippi pine-colored eyes.

* * *

Thanks, AliCat0623, for beta'ing chapter one! You know I lurve you! Let's see how long it takes you to beta chapter two ;) *snicker*

Reviews = lurve


	2. Chapter 2: Memphis Madness

_Little while later_

_Sirens started screaming_

_Felt like a nightmare_

_But you know I wasn't dreaming_

_Cops walked in_

_Dog pulling on a chain_

_Looking for a woman_

_Ran in from the rain_

_They sat out front eating fried chicken_

_While I shivered in a shed_

_Out behind the kitchen_

_I'm never going back to Memphis_

_I'm never going back to Memphis_

_Don't ask when_

_'Cause I'm never going back to Memphis again_

_Shemekia Copeland-_

_Never Going Back To Memphis_

* * *

_Previously, in Chapter One..._

_Whipping my head, I screamed out in alarm, gripping my towel tightly to my chest as I met the eyes of a man sitting comfortably in a chair I kept beside a tiny old bookshelf in my room. The man was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, dressed in a smart, expensive looking grey suit with a pink silk tie. My well-worn copy of Emily Dickenson poetry lay open on his lap. As he brought the book down from in front of his face, I was close enough to see that he'd been reading a page that I'd dog-eared. The man was disgustingly handsome, but not the in the obvious way. He had very sharp details such as high cheek bones and a slightly flat nose. His hair was an odd copper-penny color and was in disarray as though he'd run his hands through it many times._

_But his most interesting feature were his eyes; those vivid Mississippi pine colored eyes._

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: MEMPHIS MADNESS**

I shrieked in surprise, reaching for the old box lamp that rested on my chipped oak nightstand. Fumbling for the switch, the room illuminated in a soft, yellow light and my gaze snapped back to the old green wing-back chair I'd inherited from my grandmother, only to find it empty. Trembling, I clutched the comforter tightly to my chest, my head jerking around the room in confusion. Stumbling out of the bed, I wrapped the comforter tighter around me and crept out of my bedroom.

Entering the main area of the apartment, my eyes swept over the room; no Edward Cullen in sight. Creeping towards the kitchenette, I grabbed a large butcher knife from the knife block and walked slowly to the bathroom. I envisioned my intruder crouching in the shower waiting to jump out at me as soon as the bathroom door opened. I grabbed the handle with a shaky hand and turned it slowly, causing an eerie creaking sound to fill the room. Shuddering, I reached into the dark room, fumbling for the light switch. Flicking on the light, I entered the bathroom...and screamed.

My reflection stared back at me nervously. Stupid mirror! My eyes were wild and bore dark shadows beneath them and my brown hair looked like a rat had been nesting in it. Leaning against the sink, I stared into the mirror taking in a ragged breath, my head swimming with questions.

Why did Edward Cullen chase me down the street? Surely the man in the chair had been a hallucination. There was no one in the apartment but me! My eyes lit up as an idea crossed my mind. Maybe this was all a stupid dream and I'm just waking up! If it had been a dream...there would be no physical evidence of last night. My face lit up and I turned to the trash can tucked in beside the commode. My face fell as I noticed the bloody clothes shoved into it. A shudder rippled through my body. The incident at the store did happen.

I thought carefully of how I'd turned my head and fumbled for the lamp. Had that been long enough for someone to get out of my room and out of the apartment? It couldn't have...I had fumbled with the lamp for just a couple of seconds. As I continued to ponder my sanity, the silence in the apartment broke by a sudden banging sound, making me jerk in terror.

"Bella?" a soft, muffled voice called out.

My body slumped in relief at the sound. I returned the knife to the knife block and made my way to the apartment door. My hand froze on the knob as I realized the door was in fact locked, but not deadbolted. After carefully glancing through the peephole, I yanked the door open to find my friend, and neighbor, Angela standing in the corridor, a worried expression upon her pretty face.

Angela was tall and thin with dark features. She wore a pair of trendy, yet studious frames on the end of her delicate nose; her forehead was wrinkled in concern. Angela's son, Eric, sat on her left hip babbling away. I smiled automatically upon seeing him.

"I heard a scream," she explained, taking in my half-naked appearance and overall disarray. She peered over my shoulder into my apartment and then back at me, cocking her head to the side in need of an explanation.

"Come in," I muttered as she slid past me.

Sticking my head in the corridor, I glanced first left and then right, but saw no one. Shutting the door and locking it safely behind me, I turned back to Angela, who was still staring at me in concern.

"Let me grab some clothes and I'll be right back...make yourself at home," I told her.

She nodded and I walked to my bedroom, closing the door softly behind me. I quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top then threw my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head before rejoining Angela.

"I think I'm going crazy," I admitted, flopping beside her on my old worn brown couch and scrubbing my face tiredly.

Eric continued to babble, slobber running down his chin and on the bib that Angela kept there just for that purpose. Eric was teething so he drooled constantly. He reached for me with his chubby arms and began pouting, his cute face scrunched up the way it did right before he would burst into tears. I reached for him and he lit up like a Christmas tree. Angela handed him to me and he began lightly patting my cheeks with his chubby little hands, causing me to giggle.

"Why's that?" Angela asked curiously, pushing her glasses back up her nose. She still wore the baby blue scrubs and squeaky white shoes required of the nursing assistants at the nursing home where she worked.

I told how I'd come home from work only and became overwhelmed with a severe ice cream craving. She nodded, understanding of my 'problem' with ice cream. Then I gave her a brief rundown of everything that had happened earlier that morning in the grocery store. Her almond-shaped eyes grew wider and wider, looking as though they would pop out of their sockets at any time. I ran my hands across the top of Eric's head during the story, playing with his short, dark curls. When I explained how I had awoken to find Edward Cullen in my room Angela just about fell off the couch.

"Oh my God, Bella!" she exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and throwing her hands up in excitement. Eric turned to look at his mother and started laughing and clapping his hands. "You're the Breakaway Beauty?" she exclaimed reverently, literally slapping the palms of her hands to her face as she stared at me with a look of realization. A ball of dread began forming in the pit of my stomach as I shifted nervously on the couch.

"What do you mean by 'Breakaway Beauty'?" I asked, although I had a feeling that I already knew the answer.

Angela quickly grabbed my laptop from the small desk near the only window that graced my living room and sat back down beside me on the couch. After waiting impatiently for it to boot up she hurriedly typed away in the search engine window and then clicked the link to the local news station; the same news logo popped up that I had seen splashed upon the side of the van that was at the grocery store, and that ball of dread in my stomach suddenly turned into a boulder.

"Okay, here it is! You've gotta watch this," Angela instructed, holding the laptop so that we could both easily view it.

The screen was black and that stupid little wheel that I hated starting whirling and then suddenly...there was reporter Helmet-Head wearing a bright red suit that matched her tacky red lipstick. Instead of standing in front of the store, however, she was sitting behind a shiny wood desk, a backdrop of the Mississippi river flowing behind her. The muddy river was lit up with boats drifting slowly through the water. In the distance you could see the Hernando de Soto bridge glowing prettily from the two hundred lights that adorned the double arches of steel.

Reporter Helmet-Head's face was a mask of seriousness. "Good afternoon. I'm Tonya Walls. Our top story of the day is a bizarre one folks. Shortly after two am Shelby county police arrived at Bean's Family Grocery, an age-old grocery store just outside of downtown Memphis. Inside the store two armed assailants demanded cash from the cashier and customers and then took hostages. Now here's where things get interesting folks. Inside the store were Alice Cullen, daughter of CEO and Chairman of Cullen Corporation and alleged crime boss Carlisle Cullen. Also in the store was Rosalie Hale, daughter of Tennessee Senator John Hale. Shelby county police were tight-lipped about what happened inside, but one eye-witness gives us his first hand account."

The video changed and now showed a young man who looked vaguely familiar. He had close-cropped brown hair and pale blue eyes which were round in seriousness. "I was in the store when the guys came in," he confirmed, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously, his eyes darting to the camera and back to the reporter.

"These two guys in masks barged in and told us to hit the floor, so we did. One of the guys grabbed this girl and pulled her to the back of the store into an office. He had a gun...I thought he was going to kill her! They were gone for a while and then this other girl crawled to the front of the store and jumped on the other robber while he was digging out cash from the register. She was so quick and tiny that he didn't see her coming! She grabbed the gun that he'd left on the counter while he was filling his bag with money and hit him right here with the butt of it." The guy pointed to his right temple.

"And then what happened, sir?" reporter Helmet-Head asked, thrusting the microphone closer to his face.

He frowned at her momentarily and then continued. "Well, then the guy slumped to the floor and the girl...Alice Cullen...she and her two friends ran to the back and the next thing I know cops flooded the store.

"What happened to the young lady that was forced into the back of the store?" Helmet-Head asked, turning momentarily to look seriously at the camera and then back to the man. Police cars stood behind him and were flashing dramatically.

"She came out with the other three...and she came out covered in blood," he said, running a hand anxiously through his short hair. "She talked to a cop and walked out of the store. Then the paramedics came in with a stretcher and I saw the guy who grabbed her come back through on that stretcher. She beat the crap out of that guy! The cops told us to step outside. That's when I saw all the commotion and someone told me that the girl ran away and Edward Cullen took off after her."

The screen changed again back to Helmet-Head sitting behind the desk. "You heard him right folks. The unidentified female victim, who we have briefly on film, ran from the scene of the crime for unknown reasons. Edward Cullen, son of Carlisle Cullen, alleged crime boss and the CEO and chairman of Cullen Corporation, gave chase to the girl, only to return to the scene of the crime minutes later. Mr. Cullen declined to comment on camera about why he chased the girl, but a representative for Mr. Cullen did return our calls and gave the following statement: Mr. Cullen's sister was just one of several victims of a terrible robbery attempt that hopefully left everyone unharmed. Unfortunately, one of the victims fled the scene before receiving proper medical attention. She was obviously in a state of panic after being assaulted. Mr. Cullen was simply concerned with her physical and mental well-being."

"Eyewitnesses describe the young lady in her late teens or early twenties. She is about five feet, four inches tall, around one hundred and twenty pounds with long brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white blouse, blue jeans and brown boots. Locals describe her as being very pretty and have given her the nickname 'Breakaway Beauty'. News Channel Five was on the scene and has a brief clip of the woman," the reporter boasted.

I gulped as the screen changed again and there I was, standing frozen in front of the store, just over the reporter's shoulder. Someone had zoomed in on me post-recording, but, thankfully, the image of me was mostly a blur, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief. The camera then panned to Edward and Alice embracing. Chill bumps erupted all over my body at the sight of Edward. He was handsome, even with his face etched in worry as he released his sister from their embrace. He held her by her shoulders staring intently into her eyes. You could see her mouth moving and you could vaguely make out what she said before she pointed at me. The cameraman then tried to zoom in on where Alice pointed, but the video had become momentarily unfocused and all you could see was the back of my body as I broke away through the crowd and then Mr. Cullen chasing after me.

"The two assailants in this crime were transported by ambulance and police escort to the MED where they received treatment for minor injuries and then released to the police. They are now charged and awaiting arraignment. Anyone with information on the 'Breakaway Beauty' is encouraged to contact the Shelby county police. Mr. Edward Cullen is also offering a cash reward for information leading the whereabouts of the woman," the reporter finished. The blurry image they'd captured of me flashed across the screen with the police department's phone number below it. I cringed.

Angela snapped the laptop shut and placed it back on the coffee table. She took Eric, who'd become restless now that he couldn't watch the colors flashing across the laptop screen. She bounced him on her knee, stared at me sympathetically and murmured, "Oh, Bella...why did you run? What have you gotten yourself into? Edward Cullen is a...monster! Money laundering, bribery, racketeering, prostitution and murder are just a few of the things he's been accused of. And now he's looking for you...and people like Edward Cullen...they don't stop until they get what they want. And apparently he wants you."

* * *

A/N: So why did Bella run? Was she just scared? Do you think Edward was a figment of her imagination or do you think he was really in the apartment? Do you think Edward chased her because he was really concerned about her well-being, or does he have ulterior motives? Leave me a review and tell my your thoughts! I'm really excited to start working on chapter three. You're gonna meet two of my favorite people in this story! I wanted to write them in chapter two, but I realized I needed a sort of filler chapter. Hope y'all like your Edward a bad, bad man, cause he'll be popping up next in chapter three! Also, I hope you guys liked the song! I listened to this while I worked on chapter two and I urge y'all to listen to it. It's really beautiful, even if you don't like the blues.

Peace!

Jhood


	3. Chapter 3: McMillan's and Beale

**A/N****: I MUST LOVE Y'ALL...I MEAN, THREE CHAPTERS IN ONE WEEK! BLAME IT ON THE INCREASE IN REVIEWS AND MULTIPLE AMOUNTS OF SWEET TEA I CONSUME WHILE WRITING. **

**WARNING****: IF YOU ARE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO CUSS IN FRONT OF YOUR MAMA WITHOUT GETTING SLAPPED IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD, THEN YOU NEED TO STOP READING RIGHT HERE. BELLA'S FRIENDS LIKE TO DRINK, SMOKE AND CURSE. RELIGION MAY ALSO BE MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE STORY, BUT IT IS NOT IN ANY WAY MEANT TO BE OFFENSIVE. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO MY RL TIA AND CARMEN...**

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS TWILIGHT. LIKE THE GREAT HANK WILLIAMS JR. I OWN A SHOTGUN, A RIFLE AND A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE...CAUSE, YOU KNOW, COUNTRY FOLKS CAN SURVIVE.**

_Put on my blue suede shoes_  
_And I boarded the plane_  
_Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues_  
_In the middle of the pouring rain_  
_W.C. Handy, won't you look down over me_  
_Yeah I got a first class ticket_  
_But I'm as blue as a boy can be_

_[Chorus]_  
_Then I'm walking in Memphis_  
_Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale_  
_Walking in Memphis_  
_But do I really feel the way I feel_

_Marc Cohn-_

_Walking in Memphis_

**CHAPTER THREE: McMILLAN'S AND BEALE**

Friday, October 5th

Three weeks had passed since that fateful day in the grocery store. It was now the beginning of October. It was still intensely hot, although there was a slight chill to the air when an occasional cloud blocked the Tennessee sun. I tried to avoid answering Angela's line of questioning about why I ran from the scene, but Angie was pretty perceptive...and persuasive...so I finally relented and told her a bit about my past life in Mississippi. She listened intently to my story, patted my hand and hugged me tightly, assuring me that anytime I needed to talk she would be there to lend me an ear. Angela's warnings of Edward Cullen's criminal activities and her vocal concern of my well-being had played in my mind day after day. I'd taken to walking around like _I_ was a criminal; hands shoved deep in my pockets and staring at the ground in front of me. When I walked to work I'd leave my hair down to shield my face and I would jump at every little sound. A car horn honked; I jumped. A baby would cry; I would jump. You get the idea.

Needless to say, I was way too paranoid. Memphis, Tennessee is no small place. There are well over six million people residing in Memphis. It's loud, flashy, dirty, dangerous, exhilarating and rich with history and blues music. It's the type of place a person can disappear into, which is exactly why I left my small hometown in Mississippi to live here.

When I moved to Memphis I barely had enough money to pay two months worth of rent. In hindsight, I guess it was pretty stupid of me to spend my savings on an apartment and move to a strange city where I knew no one and had no sort of income, but that's what I did. Day after day I searched for a decent job, but it was hard in this economy to even_ find _a job. Swallowing my pride, I stopped looking for what I used to think was a _decent_ job and started looking for _any_ job. Memphis was full of bars...so, on a hunch, I took the required forty-hour course and became a licensed bartender.

After a couple of weeks worth of searching and begging people to take my application, I got called in for an interview and subsequently hired at McMillan's, an Irish pub on Beale Street. I couldn't believe my luck! Beale Street is a huge tourist attraction in itself with its rich history, clubs, restaurants, and bars. Super excited with grandiose visions of tons of tips from customers, I accepted the job as a bartender in the club. I'd lucked out when I moved to downtown Memphis, because now I could simply walk to work and not have to take my truck. My truck was an ancient faded, red catastrophe which guzzled gas like no joke. It was now parked in front of my apartment collecting dust.

Now, if my grandmother were still alive she'd probably faint if she knew I was working in a bar. She would tell me that good girls don't work in bars. Mamaw Swan claimed herself a good Christian woman, although her favorite word happened was 'shit'. When something went wrong she'd mutter 'well, shit'. When she'd laugh at something absurd...'well shit'. You get my drift. Other than that, she did stay true to her good, southern, Christian values. She was a kind, decent woman who never smoked, never drank. She loved helping those around her by cooking food for the poor folks who lived in town or gave away her and Papaw Swan's hand-me-down clothes when they'd become threadbare. She was one of the few stable parts of my childhood. I loved her more than my own mother...and when she died a part of me died as well.

As I shuffled down the sidewalk along Front Street on my way to Beale, I tried to keep my mind occupied with thoughts of my grandmother to keep _him_ off my mind. Mamaw would secretly be tickled pink to find out that the bar that I was so excited about working at months ago was now failing and threatening to close. She would voice her false sympathy and then promptly demand for me to return home. Then she would make me a good home-cooked meal and practically force feed me...which was one of the reasons I was so chubby as a kid. My thoughts of Mamaw Swan began to fade away the closer I got to Beale.

Beale Street, once home to businesses belonging to trade merchants in the 1800's, was now home to bars, restaurants, blues clubs and stores. The foot traffic became incredibly thick as I turned the corner and suddenly all of my senses were completely assaulted with my favorite part of Memphis. The smell of world-famous dry-rub Memphis barbeque wafted out of several restaurants as I shuffled down the sidewalk, making my stomach rumble and reminding me that I had skipped supper in my rush to make it to work on time. The faded red brick buildings were lit up with neon signs screaming the names of their business. The street was already full of drunks, although it wasn't even seven pm yet. A man stumbled into me and then burst into laughter before voicing a sloppy apology. Sorrowful music flowed from BB King's Blues club and a tall man dressed as Jesus stood on a bucket in the middle of the street holding a sign that said 'It's The End Of The World; Are You Prepared?'. He was screaming bible verses and throwing pamphlets at everyone who passed by. A drunk man threw a beer at him, knocking him to the ground. He lay there sprawled on his back staring at the darkening sky, pamphlets scattered around him like fallen stars.

Temporarily forgetting that I was trying to blend, I rushed to the man and helped him to his feet. He stood, brushing off the back of his long white gown and glared at the drunk guy who was now walking away cackling. He turned back to me and his face became soft and kind. The man had shoulder-length brown hair, that was thin and streaked grey with age. A well-groomed beard graced his wrinkled, aged face. His steel grey eyes peered into my wide brown ones as he abruptly grabbed my hands and he said, "Are you a Christian, child? If you are then please leave this God-forsaken place." His breath, oddly enough, smelled of cheap Vodka.

"Uh, yes sir," I mumbled, backing away and melting back into the crowded sidewalk. I could still feel the man's eyes following me as I eventually reached McMillan's. The front of the pub was a dark, fading green and multi-colored paint scrawled across the windows announcing the cheap beer prices and nightly specials. A familiar tune was thumping from inside, causing a groan to escape my lips. The music only grew louder as I pulled open the door and immediately knew what night it was.

It was Tia's playlist night.

When the house band realized our new manager, Patrick, didn't have the funds to pay them anymore, they quickly abandoned the pub, leaving us without any musical entertainment. Patrick thought he would solve the problem by playing music from his own personal collection. Too bad his choice of music sucked. His playlist consisted of strange political bands that no one seemed to have heard of, except Patrick. After a week of the staff and patrons wanting to slit their wrists, Tia came up with the brilliant idea to take turns listening to all the staffs playlists. All of the staff except Patrick. I can still see his face falling as Tia informed him with one hand on her hip and her finger pointed in his face that we would all walk if he didn't stop playing his music. I almost felt sorry for him...almost.

Entering the bar, I physically relaxed, feeling more at home in this bar than I did anywhere in the world. I passed by shiny, round tables filled with a few occupants. The inside of the walls were the same faded brick as the outside. Irish memorabilia adorned the walls between the plastic bats and vampires that Carmen had happily splashed across the bar in preparation for Halloween. Carmen loves Halloween...I mean she _really_ loves Halloween. It looked like the Halloween aisle in Wal-Mart exploded in the bar. I made my way to the back of the bar, passing by Patrick's empty office. Clocking my card I threw my hair up in a ponytail using the elastic band that I had on my right wrist. I gave the cook, Fred, a small wave and headed to the bar to join my co-workers and friends, Tia and Carmen. The day shift bartenders had already left for the day and someone had, thankfully, refilled the serving station.

Tia was singing and swinging her hips, wiping the bar down with a wet rag. One of the locals, Waylon, sat on one of the round stools staring as T's breasts bounced up and down as she wiped away, seemingly unaware of his attention. His eyes fluttered frequently and his head would nod occasionally. He was obviously hammered and didn't need anything else to drink.

"KOREAN GANGSTA STYLE!" Tia sang, her head nodding back and forth.

"You know he's not saying that...right? He's saying 'Gangham Style'," I informed her, smiling at a customer as he sat down and gave me his drink order.

"I don't give a damn what that man is saying. In _my mind_, that motherfucker is saying 'Korean Gangsta Style'," she replied, finally noticing how drunk Waylon was. His head started bobbing and his eyes were now completely closed. T snapped her fingers in his face and eventually poked him on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Waylon, you ain't gotta go home but you can't stay here," she told him, pointing to the door. "Bastard comes in this place drunk. He barely had enough money for one shot," she grumbled as Waylon attempted to stand up. He wore his old jacket from his time in the war and I wondered what horrible things he'd seen in his days to make him stay drunk all the time.

"I'll be right back," I told Tia and my new customer.

Rounding the bar, I helped straighten Waylon up and walked him to the door. He leaned heavily on me and gave me an apologetic smile. His dark, curly hair had thinned remarkably in the time that I'd first met him. He smelled of cheap cologne, cigarettes and alcohol. When we made it to the door I offered to call Waylon a cab but he declined, stating that he would have to walk a mile just to meet the cab. This was true. Beale street became barricaded from traffic by the police during the night. Cars were not allowed on the almost two-mile stretch. He stumbled through the door and on the sidewalk into the throng of pedestrians. I stood at the window watching him worriedly for a minute until I could no longer see him, then I returned to the bar.

"You're so white and considerate," Tia smirked once I returned, her mocha-colored eyes twinkling mischievously. Rolling my eyes, I smacked her on her arm for her remark, making her cackle and move on to another customer.

"Who's white and considerate?" a familiar voice asked from beside me. I turned and greeted Carmen, who was obviously running a little late for work. Her clothes were slightly wrinkled and there were indentations across her face as though she'd just woken up from a nap.

"Look who decided to show up to work! It's the Yankee!" I quipped, earning smack in the arm myself. I called Carmen a Yankee because she was originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and to me, anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line was a Yankee.

"Where have you been Dracula? Sleeping in your coffin? Did you forget to drink some blood today? You're looking even paler than usual," T joked, causing Carmen to huff in annoyance.

"You bitches are ruthless today. I overslept, obviously," she muttered, smiling at our amused customers.

"Stay up all night popping them pills, Pillhead?" Tia asked, shooting me a grin. Carmen was always complaining of a toothache and Tia accused her of complaining only to get pain medication.

"I've got a cavity you bitch!" Carmen hissed, rubbing her jaw subconsciously.

"Ho, you've had that toothache for two years. I don't believe that shit," Tia shot back rolling her eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle. That is, until I saw Patrick crossing the bar, his eyes zeroed in on me.

"Dork alert, dork alert," Tia whispered below her breath, pretending to busy myself with a bottle of tequila. Carmen groaned and started chatting away with a customer like she was the friendliest damn bartender ever. I braced myself as Patrick arrived at the bar.

Patrick McMillan was twenty-three years old. He was of average height, not fat, but not so thin. His face was plain with nothing distinguishing about it, but the thing that stood out the most was his hair. Patrick McMillan had a white-boy afro. He yanked at it often in frustration, annoyance, or confusion, which was about 99% of the time. This caused his curly hair to fuzz up all over his head. When he talked to me I could never stare him in the eyes for long because my gaze constantly drifted North to the afro.

Patrick was not only the general manager, he was also the only child of Mr. and Mrs. McMillan, the owners of the bar. Mr. McMillan had fallen gravely ill with pancreatic cancer a few months ago and they had completely depleted their funds trying to save him with chemotherapy and radiation. Patrick, who had no experience with anything besides an Xbox, came into the bar in their stead. Since then the bar had slowly begun falling apart and service started dwindling away. Only a few dedicated locals continued to support the bar by showing up. Half the time we didn't even have the right ingredients to make the drinks on the menu, causing us to basically serve only shots. We would tell Patrick constantly, but either he didn't care or didn't have the means to replace the missing items.

"Uh, Bella," he said softly, his face a mask of seriousness and anxiety. My eyes drifted north as he started yanking at his hair. "Uh, do you think you can come look at the freezer?"

For some unknown reason, Patrick came to me when any problem arose in the bar. "What's wrong with the freezer, Patrick?" I asked him patiently, speaking in the same voice that you would a child. I didn't speak to him that way disrespectfully. It just took me a while to realize that's usually the only way he understands anything you tell him.

"Ummm...it's making a weird sound...Fred said he didn't have time to deal with it," he said, yanking away at the hair.

"And why do you think I can fix the freezer, Patrick?" I asked carefully.

"Uhhh...well you fixed that toilet that time..." he answered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"That was easy to fix...the water kept running and I just jiggled the handle," I responded, cocking my head to the side and narrowing my eyes. Sighing heavily, I gently pushed past him and headed to the kitchen where Fred was flipping a burger. He saw me enter and rolled his eyes, smirking as I stared at the freezer. The freezer was humming as usual. No weird sound whatsoever. Turning around I screamed as I smacked right into Patrick.

"Sorry!" he yelped, backing up with his hands in the air. Patrick knew nothing of personal space.

"Patrick, is it still making that 'weird' noise?" I asked, pointing at the freezer.

"Yeah, do you not hear it? It's like, humming or something," he answered, staring at the freezer like it was his mortal enemy.

"Patrick...it's supposed to hum," I assured him, patting him awkwardly on the arm.

"Oh," he murmured, yanking at the hair again.

"No playing with your hair in my kitchen!" Fred barked, causing both Patrick and me to jump in surprise.

Rubbing my temples in frustration, I muttered, "Patrick, I've got to get back to work. Is there anything else you needed?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, we have a visitor coming in tonight...a special guest of sorts...around nine and uh you I need you guys on your A-game. Can you please tell T and Carmen to tone it down with the cursing?" he asked nervously, shuffling uncomfortably closer to me. Tia terrified Patrick and he was slightly scared of Carmen and her Yankee ways, so it really didn't surprise me that it was me that he chose to talk to. I wondered who the visitor was, but didn't ask him for I didn't have the patience to wait for an answer.

After reassuring him I would talk to my besties, I returned to the bar. My customer was still there and asked for another drink that I happily served him. The Korean pop song was over and T's favorite band, Slipknot, shouted angrily from the speakers. The sky outside had slipped into darkness and through the windows, I could see the street became even more crowded. A few customers trickled in while I was checking out the freezer. Victoria, a tall pretty redhead, and Laurent, a dark-skinned Frenchman were running back and forth waiting the tables and bringing us drink orders that we expertly filled. Tia and Carmen were still talking about that stupid Korean song.

"I think I'm going to move to Korea," Tia announced, propping herself on the bar with one elbow.

"North or South?" Carmen asked, seriously. I chuckled quietly to myself, for I knew what was coming.

"Carmen, you dumbass! I can't move to freaking _North_ Korea! I swear, I don't understand how the south gets such a bad rep. And people call _us _uneducated...at least I know you can't just waltz into North Korea smiling and laughing like the town idiot!" Tia fumed disgusted, throwing a dishrag into the sink. "Didn't you go to a private school? Christ, you'd have done better with the public education system!"

I tried to deflect and take the heat off a pouting Carmen by asking Tia why she wanted to move to Korea. Her answer was that Korea had could only be awesome because of that stupid song. I rolled my eyes and chuckled for a second before remembering what Patrick had asked me to do.

"Oh, supposedly we are having a very special guest tonight...and Patrick wants us on our best behavior. So no more swearing and stuff guys. And don't even ask me who it is, cause I have no clue. The visitor will be here at nine," I told them, glancing at my watch which read half past eight.

"Patrick can suck my dick!" Tia muttered, luckily too low for anyone but me to hear. She angrily filled a few drink orders for Victoria while Carmen and I filled some for Laurent.

"I bet Patrick has a huge cock...the geeky ones always do," Carmen whispered, a slight smile on her face as she stared into space wistfully, as though she was remembering something fondly. Snorting, I turned to see Laurent saunter to the bar to grab a drink order.

"Hello ladies," he sang, giving T air kisses on both of her cheeks. T ate that stuff up. She loved gay men.

"Hey, _girrrl_! What's up?" she sang with a grin on her normally cynical face.

"Just wondering who our special guest is...hopefully it's a sexy male underwear model," Laurent purred, causing T to nod in agreement as she poured him a beer.

Laurent took the beer with an elegant bow, and runway walked back to his customers, causing us all to erupt in giggles. We worked silently among ourselves for the next several minutes. For some reason, the closer nine o'clock came, the more nervous_ I _became. Every time the door would open I would look up, wondering if each patron was the special visitor. Finally, I gave up and concentrated on making the customers happy, chatting them up and serving their food and drinks. A few minutes later Patrick materialized at my side.

"Crap, crap, CRAP! BELLA! I've screwed up! I need your help!" he hissed, his eyes wild and looking more distressed than usual. He kept glancing nervously over the heads of the customers at the bar and towards the door.

"What's wrong, Patrick?" I asked him in a soft voice, trying to calm his nerves before he scared all of our customers away. Beads of sweat covered his forehead and I handed him a napkin, gesturing for him to clean his face. He did so and tried to hand the napkin back, but realized by the disgusted look on my face I was _not _going to touch that napkin, so he discarded it in the trash can behind the bar.

"I...uhhh...accidently invited double-booked _two_ visitors at the same time! They _can not _be here together!" he moaned, his eyes looking suspiciously misty.

"It's okay, Patrick...can't you just explain the mistake to the two of them and reschedule one of them for another time?" I asked, tolerantly.

"No! You're can't reschedule with these guys! Plus, I don't have time to reschedule! My father is sick...we need the money..." he responded in a quick, aghast voice.

Realization dawned on me. "Patrick, your parents are selling the bar, aren't they?" I whispered, my chest tightening in fear. He nodded and I groaned, selfishly worried about my job. Banishing these thoughts by thinking of Mr. McMillan's health, I got over myself and suggested that he just meet with the both of them together. Grabbing a glass and cleaning it with a dishcloth, I added, "You never know...this may have worked out in your benefit, especially if the two of them are competitors."

Patrick nodded, looking slightly relieved and even smiled a little. "You're right. And they _are _competitors. They're fighting for real estate all the time." Patrick thanked me and walked away. I watched him as he shuffled across the bar and approached a tall, slightly muscular man. The man's skin was a lovely russet color and his hair was a silky mane the color of ink. He turned, smiled politely at Patrick, shaking his hand with a friendly expression upon his face. It was a face that I was familiar with. It was the face of Jacob Black.

Jacob Black owned and operated several businesses around town, but his pride and joy was the Wolf Pack Lounge, a few doors down from McMillan's. WP's, as the locals call it, had been in Jacob's family for several generations. Jacob was of Chickasaw Indian decent, and people whispered that this was one of the reasons his family profited so much in business, suggesting government help due to his Native American Heritage. I was not one to believe in rumors, so I liked to think that the Black family earned their fortune the old-fashioned way; hard work.

It was my perpetual clumsiness that landed me in Jacob Black's arms...literally. Late one night after leaving work, I'd trotted quickly down the sidewalk going home. Somehow I had lost my footing as I passed by WP's, stumbling and almost falling on the street. As I closed my eyes and braced my body for the fall, I was suddenly embraced by a pair of strong, warm arms. I opened my eyes to find Jacob Black staring down at me, an intense look in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes darting around my face. I was so smitten at his good looks that I couldn't speak and he eventually chuckled at my muteness. He helped me stand upright and, slowly, it occurred to me that this man still had his arms around me.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened...I'm just really clumsy and it's late and I'm tired," I babbled stupidly, slinking my way out of his arms. He leaned back on his heels, shoving his hands into his pockets. He wore a thin, white shirt that was slightly fitted and showed off his defined muscles. I tried not to ogle his chest, but it was very difficult.

"So you work at McMillan's?" he asked, ignoring my incoherent mumbling by pointing at the logo on the green shirt that I wore.

"Yes, but not for long. I mean, I haven't _worked_ there for long, not that I _wont' _work there for long. God I'm a moron!" I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.

Obviously this guy had a thing for idiots...he laughed at my nervousness and invited me into his club for a drink. I hesitantly agreed, not used to keeping company outside of my immediate friends. We sat side by side in the bar for an hour, laughing and chatting away about nothing. Jacob was easy to talk to. The guy emitted sunshine and warmth and I found myself regretting leaving the bar to go home, but it was already very late.

"Let me take you home," he pleaded, following me outside. Beale street was now abandoned except for the people hired to clean the street. I opened my mouth to stubbornly argue with him, but he placed his index finger to my lips, stunning me into silence with the action.

"I'll call you a cab and walk with you to meet it. I won't take no for an answer," he said firmly. His finger was now gone from my lips, but his eyes continued to stare at the place where it had been. Subconsciously, I wet my lips with my tongue, causing Jacob to clear his throat nervously and break his eyes away from my mouth. Jacob called the cab and we walked side by side down the now nearly deserted sidewalk running down Beale. Jacob let at a chuckle, and I looked at him strangely. He was staring at the ground as we walked, a small smile on his face.

"I like you, Bella Swan," he whispered.

My head snapped up and I stared at him in shock. Not watching where I was going, I stumbled, but Jacob quickly reached out to catch me. We stopped walking and I noticed we had reached to corner where the cab was to meet me. Jacob still had one hand gently clutching my arm. He let it linger there for a moment, his thumb making small, soft circles. Then he slowly released me, pushing his hands back in his pockets and looking away nervously, taking my silence for rejection.

"I like you too, Jacob," I sighed, spotting a cab making its way towards us. "But I have a lot of baggage. You're a nice guy and deserve someone better than me. I don't even know how to have a normal relationship with a man."

He stared deeply into my eyes and found no falsity to my statement. I was not just letting him down easy. I'd given him a truthful answer. Jacob was young, twenty-six, in fact, and handsome. He was a successful business man who'd never been married and had no children. Jacob Black was a catch. And he deserved the best. And that wasn't me.

The cab pulled in beside me and Jacob opened the door for me, like the gentleman that he was. I slid across the ripped seats, the jagged edges scratching my bare legs where my skirt ended. Jacob lingered at the door for a moment before reaching in is pocket and removing his wallet. Jacob handed the driver a roll of cash and told him to take me anywhere I wanted to go and to keep the change. The driver's eyes widened at the amount of money he'd handed him. He then saluted Jacob and gave an enthusiastic, "Yes, sir!"

Before I could argue with Jacob for paying my cab fare, he leaned into the cab, shocking me by giving me a bold yet gentle kiss on the cheek. The cab was suddenly filled with his spicy scent. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," he murmured, staring into my stunned brown eyes intently. And then...he was gone. He closed the door of the cab, gave me one last sad smile, turned and walked away. The cab jerked forward and I watched as he faded into the night. That was the last time I'd seen Jacob Black.

_'Until now_,' I told myself, snapping back to reality. Patrick had seated Jacob at a round table in a corner of the room that provided a little more privacy than the other tables. Victoria sided up next to Patrick and handed a menu to Jacob, smiling and taking his drink order. She walked up to the bar and grinned at me.

"He's hot, right?" she giggled, nodding her head towards Jacob, and winking at me. Her eyes were a pretty, yet strange brown color with a red hue, as red as Mississippi clay. I nodded numbly. Jacob had ordered an Irish whiskey that smelled of toffee, vanilla and fruit. It was one of my favorites. I carefully poured the whiskey into a clean glass and handed it to Victoria. Thanking me, she flipped her long, red curls over one shoulder and sauntered back to Jacob.

"Hey, Bella? Can I get a beer?" a voiced asked, snapping my attention away from Jacob.

It was Diego, one of my favorite customers. Diego was a short, dumpy Hispanic man with a rounded belly, black hair and a tiny mustache. He loved to get Carmen riled up and he was winking and making kissy faces at her. She was pretending to ignore him, although her normally pale face was quickly turning beet-red.

"She's gonna kill you one day, you know that right?" I joked, handing him his usual. He snorted, then guzzled the entire beer, wiped the foam off his mustache with the back of his hand, and sliding the glass back to me, indicating he wanted another. "She secretly loves me...I can feel it. She is just playing hard to get...isn't that right _mi amor_?" She muttered something that sounded a lot like 'you're disgusting' but she walked away to get an order of nachos for one of her customers. Diego merely shrugged and guzzled the second drink I'd given him.

Carmen returned moments later, a plate full of chips, cheese and jalapeño in her hand and suddenly I could feel a slight buzz of excitement rippling throughout the bar. People were turning in their seats, peering towards the door. I was curious about what was going on, but too busy washing wiping drink condensation off the bar to look.

"Ohhhh...look who just walked in with his bodyguard, Bella! A local celebrity! All the women are swooning! If only I had his money and looks!" Diego purred, slightly drunk, his thick, Spanish accent more pronounced.

Glancing up I froze, my heart momentarily stopping in place before it started back with a sputter, hammering relentlessly against my chest. My throat was tight, and my skin went cold...the familiar feeling of panic washing over my body. Standing in the doorway, peering around curiously was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen. He was wearing dark-wash jeans, cut close to his thighs showing off his lean muscles. The sleeves of his black dress shirt rolled up lazily at his elbows and a couple of the buttons were undone down the front, giving me an amazing view of the top of his chiseled chest. His hair was in a perfect mess of disarray, the strands shooting in different directions as though he often ran his hands through it...sex-hair, as Tia would call it. He stared at the walls of the bar, coldly appraising its contents. The Halloween decorations that I had previously thought cute, seemed simple and tacky in the presence of this distinguishing handsome man.

"Is that..._Edward Cullen_?" Tia hissed from behind. I couldn't even nod in confirmation. My body was numb...unmoving...a sense of de ja vu flooding over my body. Why did the mere presence of this man turn me into a statue? As his calculating gaze swept towards where I was standing, I suddenly found myself crouching on the floor behind the bar, breathing heavily, my ears ringing loudly.

"What are you doing, Swan?" T asked in confusion, staring down at me as though I had lost my mind. Hadn't I?

"He can't see me T!" I muttered, frantically, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs. She shook her head, mumbled something about crazy white people and walked back to her station.

As I sat hunched down on the floor for several seconds, I somehow come upon the realization that I could not hide from this man forever...and why would I want to? It's not as though I was actually running from Edward Cullen when I escaped the grocery store that fateful night several weeks ago...it was the _media_ I ran from that night. As I stood in front of that grocery store with Alice Cullen pointing a tiny finger at me, the thought of my face splashed across the news made my stomach turn...the thought that..._he _might somehow see the news and find me. The truth was, Edward Cullen was not the man who I need to hide from. I uprooted my life and fled my home in Mississippi because of another man...and that man was James Hunter.

I slowly rose from the floor and peered over the edge of the bar, causing a couple of customers to shoot me curious glances. Mr. Cullen was no longer at the doorway, but his bodyguard was. He was a tall, very muscular man with dirty-blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The man leaned against the wall, arms crossed at his chest surveying the room.

Looking back towards the corner, I saw that Mr. Cullen was now sitting with Jacob, the two of them glaring at one another with equal amounts of disdain. Patrick was also sitting at the table, and sometime, during my breakdown, Mrs. McMillan, one of the owners, had joined them. Her salt-and-pepper hair had turned whiter since the last time I saw her and dark rings circled her eyes. She looked beat down from the months of caring for her sick husband.

"What are those two doing here?" Carmen wondered aloud, ringing up an order at the kiosk nearby.

"The McMillan's are trying to sell the bar," I told her quietly, causing her eyebrows to shoot up and her forehead to wrinkle in surprise.

"I don't know why I'm so shocked...I guess we all knew it was coming," she grumbled, handing her customer his change. "So...what does this mean for us? Are we going to lose our jobs now?"

"I dunno," I responded, shaking my head slowly. Victoria stumped to the bar, annoyance clear on her face. She rambled off a drink order, causing me to pause.

"We don't have that," I told her, apologetically. "We ran out of that weeks ago and Patrick wouldn't or couldn't replace it."

"Ugh, it's for that prick, Edward Cullen," she hissed, rolling her eyes. "Not friendly at all...it's a shame really. All those good looks and a horrible personality. I guess I'll break the news to him...wish me luck!" Victoria strolled back to the table, her head high in mock self-reliance.

I watched as she spoke to Mr. Cullen, tilting her head to the side clutching her order pad in her hands. His eyes narrowed and he scowled at her before snatching the menu off the table. After scanning the menu and tossing it back on the table, he glared at Victoria, his lips moving quickly. She nodded and slumped back to where I stood.

"Well, he took that really well," she grumbled, shooting a dirty look back at Mr. Cullen's table. "He wants a Jack and Coke."

I filled a large glass with ice, grabbed a bottle of Tennessee whiskey from the shelf and poured some in the glass. Then I filled it the rest of the way with Coke, sticking a thin, red straw into the drink and barely stirred it. Finally satisfied with the drink, I pushed it across the bar to Victoria. She returned to Mr. Cullen's table, but I was unable to see his reaction to the drink because a couple of customers, chatting happily to one another plopped down on the stools across from me. They placed their drink and food orders and when I returned from the kitchen, there stood Victoria, her cheeks red and a murderous look on her face.

"He hated the drink. The asshole took one sip and cringed. He says it's too strong and claims you over-poured. He wants a Walk Me Down. Actually, he said 'get me a Walk Me Down, Red. Do you think your bartender can handle_ that_?' He told Patrick and Mrs. McMillan that maybe the reason the bar is failing is because the bartenders don't know how to properly prepare drinks."

Oh, hell no he didn't! Frowning and narrowing my eyes, I stared across the room at the table where Mr. Cullen sat. He was unaware of my Devil stare as he listened intently to whatever Mrs. McMillan was telling him, his eyebrows pinched tightly together. Determined to prove Mr. Cullen wrong, I expertly shook together vodka, triple sec, rum, gin, tequila, sweet and sour mix, and a bright blue liqueur in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. After that I added lemon-lime soda and strained the drink into a hurricane glass filled with ice. There was no way this drink wasn't perfect. It was my own, personal favorite drink and I could make it with my eyes closed. I slid the drink to Victoria.

The drink seemed to have appeased Mr. Cullen because Victoria didn't return immediately. Business soon began to wind down as time flew by and it grew very late. I saw Mrs. McMillan leave around ten o'clock, but Patrick, Jacob and Mr. Cullen continued to sit at the table in the corner seemingly in deep conversation. Around one forty-five Victoria shouted last call and the few customers remaining paid their tabs and wandered out of the bar; all except Mr. Cullen's bodyguard who hadn't seemed to move then entire time he was there. Patrick, Jacob and Mr. Cullen stood from their table and disappeared into the back, possibly to check out the kitchen or the office. I cringed as they passed by me but none of them ever looked my way. Taking a deep, calming breathe, I joined Tia and Carmen as we cleaned up the bar to the best of our ability with the limited cleaning supplies that we had.

We finished cleaning and Tia and Carmen went to clock out. I shuffled closely behind them, using them as a shield of sorts if I found myself in the vicinity of Mr. Cullen. Tia shot me a weird look, but didn't say anything. After shifting from one foot to the other, waiting impatiently for them to clock so I could make my escape, it was finally my turn. I clocked my card and turned to lurch out of the room, but in my haste I smacked right into something warm and hard.

Firm hands gripped my shoulders. Those hands seemed to shoot bolts of electricity throughout my body. The smell that came from this person was unnerving...it was a mixture of jasmine, peppermint, incense and..._man_. As soon as the scent hit my nose I felt a thrill travel straight from his hands to the pit of my stomach. My body burned with an unfamiliar feeling of _want_. Biting my bottom lip, I raised my head slowly and a pair of piercing green eyes. They were angry, bitter and beautiful...and belonged to none other than Edward Cullen.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" he snapped, releasing me from his firm grip.

I stumbled backwards, miraculously catching myself before falling. Rubbing my arms where he'd grabbed me, I stared at him wide-eyed, shocked at his curt words and angry expression. There was not a hint of recognition in his eyes, and I found myself backing away in a feeble attempt to breakaway from this man's haunting glare. I mumbled a quiet apology, tripping down the hallway to catch up with Tia and Carmen who were probably waiting for me in front of the bar.

The hallway seemed to close in on me the further I distanced myself from Mr. Cullen. I almost made it to the main area of the bar when someone grabbed my arm, spinning me around so quickly that I slammed into their body. When I looked up this time, the recognition was there.

"_You_!" he hissed, those green eyes boring into mine. And in true Bella fashion, I fainted.

**A/N****: SO...YOU GUYS WANNA KILL ME FOR THE CLIFFIE? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF EDWARD? JACOB? DO YOU LIKE TIA AND CARMEN? WHY IS BELLA RUNNING FROM JAMES? WHAT TWILIGHT CHARACTER WOULD YOU LIKE TO POP UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT BEALE STREET? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4: Brick Walls

**A/N:**** WOW, YOU GUYS WERE REALLY HATING ON EDWARD IN CHAPTER THREE...HMMM...MAYBE THIS CHAPTER WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND.**

**SHOUTOUT TO CHEECH83 AKA CARMEN, AKA 'THE REAPER' LMAO! YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU GIRL! 'TIA' TOO!**

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS TWILIGHT. I OWN A NOOK WITH A BROKEN POWER CORD...ACTUALLY, TWO BROKEN POWER CORDS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.**

**CHAPTER FOUR: BRICK WALLS AND BROKEN CONFESSIONS**

_I followed the casual yet confident gait of my cousin Jasper as we strolled down the well-worn trail which ran deep into the woods behind our grandparents house. We walked for what seemed like hours before reaching a familiar break in the woods. During the spring and summer, the meadow that lay open before us burst with an abundance of wildflowers ranging in a variety of colors from yellow and blue to pink, purple and red. This was not the springtime, nor the summer. It was nearing December and the meadow was quiet and dead, the brown earth slightly trodden by the tracks of animals in search of food. There was no chirping and singing of birds normally heard in the warmer seasons. Only the babbling of a small brook could be heard in the distance. _

_We approached an old, strong tree; the twisting, bare branches spreading out towards the meadow like the arms of a child embracing his mother. Small planks of wood formed a ladder of sorts traveling up the tree and about thirty feet up and ending at the base of a small wooden platform that Jasper's father had built years ago. _

_Jasper turned to me, his honey-blonde hair glowing from a stream of sunlight that broke through the bare trees. Those shaggy, blonde curls made him seem more innocent than the person that he really was. His eyes were a deep blue; the same color of the sky as the day drifted into night. His skin was golden-kissed from days spent outdoors and he had an easy, lazy smile that could melt the coldest person's heart. Jasper was five years my senior, and, even though he was only fourteen, he was by far the most handsome boy in our school. He was also my hero, my idol, my everything. I'd follow him anywhere._

_"I'm going up first, Bells. I'll signal for you when I'm ready for you to climb up. Do you understand?" he asked me, smiling at the look of adoration upon my face. I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip and watched with wide eyes as he began climbing the thick tree, using the pieces of wood as support. Camouflage covered him from head to toe and his father's new rifle was slung across his shoulder and strapped to his back. Jasper climbed the tree with ease, making it to the tree stand in a matter of seconds. He quickly disappeared over the edge of the platform and several seconds later I saw his face peering down at me._

_Jasper gestured for me to join him in the tree stand. I nodded bravely, grabbing the first piece of wood with a surprisingly steady hand. I began hoisting myself up the side of the tree and wisely avoided looking down at the earth below me. _

_When I reached the top of the platform Jasper grabbed me under my arms and pulled me the rest of the way up. A wooden rail ran along the edges of the platform. A folding chair, rusty from years of weathering, sat perched near the tree. Jasper quietly instructed me to sit on the chair as he situated himself beside me. _

_"Now...we wait," he whispered, a crooked grin crossing his face. His eyes scanned the meadow and tree line constantly. I tried to do the same, my eyes darting around often, the brook and our quiet breathing the only sounds breaking the silence. Eventually the excitement begin to ebb away and I found myself squirming around impatiently, but Jasper shot me a look that halted my movements. _

_The sun moved from its place in the sky as minutes slipped into hours before a flash of movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. My heart fluttered frantically in my chest. Tugging on Jasper's coat, I pointed with two fingers at my eyes, then pointed across the meadow and to the north. His eyes narrowed to where I gestured and then as slow, excited grin creeped across his face. Around my neck hung a pair of bright, orange earplugs that I now pressed into my ears. I watched as Jasper loaded the slick, black, bolt-action rifle. _

_Jasper nodded to me and then down at the gun...I slid off the chair in excitement and understanding as he allowed me to hold the gun with his help. He nodded again, this time to the scope that mounted atop the long, dark rifle. Closing my left eye, I stared through the scope, zeroing in on my target. _

_The buck was about three-hundred yards away when he stepped cautiously out of the trees, his ears perked up as he stared around the meadow carefully, his white tail twitching occasionally. The red-brown coat he normally wore in the summer had long faded into a dull, grey-brown color. His eyes were big, dark, and more intelligent than most people realized. He could hear everything in the meadow...especially every soft, ragged breath that escaped my lungs in little white puffs into the cold air. His antlers spread into twelve points, a large amount of space between them and he had to weigh over two-hundred and fifty pounds._

_Ignoring the pounding of my heart and the ball of nerves that formed in the pit of my stomach, I stared through the scope and found my kill point just like Jasper had trained me; high shoulder area near spine. Steadying my shaking finger by taking a deep breath, I slid my finger over the trigger and gently squeezed. _

_There was no time for the shockingly loud crack of thunder that erupted from the gun or to enjoy the smell of fresh gunfire that stung the cold, winter air. There wasn't second to spare to just enjoy the satisfaction of taking a life to feed your own. There wasn't a moment for any of that, because Jasper had underestimated the power of his father's new rifle that he had stolen from his gun cabinet. The recoil of the gun slammed into my right armpit, knocking me from Jasper's arms as I flew backwards through the air. My body slammed against something rough and hard, my head taking the brunt of the hit. Slumping against the hard, rough surface, I landed on the platform. The sky began to fade away into darkness, Jasper's face hovering above me like that of a fallen angel, horror and panic corrupting his normally relaxed features. Something warm pooled beneath my head and on the dirty platform. Looking up, I realized that it was my blood that trailed down from the tree that I hit and now seeped out around my head. Jasper's frantic voice could be heard over the ringing in my ears as my eyelids grew heavier and heavier._

_"Bella! Bella! Wake up!" he screamed, his voice cracking, as he gently clutched my shoulders. He shook me gently, trying to wake me from my slumber. "Bella! Oh, God, Bella, I'm so sorry! Bella! Please wake up! I'll do anything, God, please wake up!"_

_"Jasper..." I whispered as his screams slowly faded away and the darkness enveloped me. All was quiet for a long time and I wondered if this was death. If this was death, it was peaceful and quiet. I briefly thought of my mother and wondered if she would be there to greet me somewhere in the darkness. The pain in the back of my head was gone and I floated for a while until a voice began calling me, sounding far away like an echo in a tunnel._

"Bella! Wake up!" the voice repeated, growing louder. The darkness that I floated in suddenly began to seep away and I saw light behind my eyelids.

"Jasper...did I get him? Is he dead? Did I kill him?" I asked frantically, trying to open my eyes unsuccessfully. The voice didn't immediately answer, so I called for my cousin again.

"Did you kill who, honey? This is Jake, Bella. Jacob Black. Do you remember who I am?" the voice asked carefully, making me feel like a small child.

"Of course I know who you are, Jake!" I snapped. "But where is Jasper?"

"Sweetie, I don't know who Jasper is. You're at work...at the bar," he explained patiently as I felt soft, able fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead. Using all my strength, I pried my eyes open and met the worried gaze of Jacob Black, who knelt beside me.

"What happened?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jacob's eyes broke away from mine and shot an accusatory glance at someone nearby. Following his gaze, I found Mr. Cullen standing nearby, running his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends. He stared down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"According to Mr. Cullen...you fainted...for no reason," Jacob muttered, sounding as though he didn't buy Edward Cullen's explanation of the event. I groaned in horror and covered my face with my hands as the memory of fainting flashed through my mind; the narrowing hallway, the anger in Mr. Cullen's eyes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I moaned, mortified by my actions. "I did faint...with everything going on with the bar being sold...plus I haven't had anything to eat in a while...since this morning actually. I guess I just got weak." Jacob helped me from the floor, and I stumbled, my head swimming dizzily. Jacob put one arm around me and assisted me to a chair.

"Is everyone gone?" I asked Jacob, ignoring Mr. Cullen. The bar was empty and quiet, completely different from the usual atmosphere. Tia and Carmen were nowhere in sight and even Mr. Cullen's bodyguard had abandoned his post at the door.

"Yes, but your friends were hard to get rid of. I assured them I would take good care of you and you would call them in the..." Jacob began, but stopped as Patrick came rushing out of the kitchen, a wet washcloth in his hands.

"Is she okay? Oh, God! She is! Thank God! Oh, Bella, please don't sue me? Please, please, please don't sue me!" Patrick called desperately, catching his foot on the leg of a chair. He tripped, lurched forward, then grabbed the back of a chair to steady himself before launching at me again. He came at me with the washcloth, his clumsiness causing me to cringe, but Jacob snatched it from his grasp, folded it and pressed it to my forehead. Patrick stood for a moment defeated before slumping into the chair next to me.

All was quiet until Mr. Cullen decided to speak up. "She should eat and drink something," he said, surprisingly quiet. I looked up to find him staring down at me, his eyes a deeper green than usual. He rubbed the back of his head slowly and his chiseled features were somehow softer. Jacob begrudgingly agreed and rose from his seat, offering to get me something from the kitchen. I tried to argue with him, but he ignored me, tossing the washcloth to Mr. Cullen and jogging across the bar. He disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Patrick and Mr. Cullen.

"Mr. McMillan, it's late and I'm sure you're tired. The next few days will be very busy for you. Why don't you go home and I'll take care of things here?" Mr. Cullen suggested, turning the washcloth over in his hands.

Patrick shrugged, murmuring that it would be his business soon anyway. I watched in horror as Patrick fished a set of keys from his pockets as he rose from the chair. He tossed the keys to Mr. Cullen, shot me another round of apologies, and then he was gone.

Mr. Cullen approached the table slowly, stood beside me for a minute, and eventually sat down in the seat previously occupied by Jacob. Turning away from him, I stared stubbornly down at the tabletop, refusing to meet his penetrating stare and mentally chiding myself for letting this man have any effect on me. We sat like this for a while, me avoiding his gaze with my arms crossed firmly over my chest while he carefully watched over me, leaning alarmingly close to me with his elbows on the table, his haunting scent wafting over me. He was the first to break the silence.

"Bella, is it?" he asked softly, his voice sounding like warm honey. I would not let that voice affect me. I simply nodded, still not meeting his eyes.

"Do you have a last name Bella?" he smirked, leaning back in his chair. His scent wavered a bit and, much to my horror, I found myself immediately missing the smell that was purely Edward.

"Swan," I mumbled, distracted by my traitorous thoughts. I hated myself for being attracted to this asshole.

"Swan, huh? So, _Ms_. Swan...would you like to discuss the giant elephant in the room?" he asked, curiosity clear in his voice. Finally, I turned to him meeting his gaze evenly. His eyes searched my face for a moment and I jumped in surprise as he reached across the table and pressed the cool washcloth gently against my cheek. His thumb accidentally brushed against my bottom lip causing a shudder to ripple through my body, and he dropped the washcloth in shock. I opened my mouth to respond to his question, but Jacob interrupted.

"I made you a sandwich and grabbed you a Coke," Jacob called, emerging from the kitchen. "Do you..." he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Mr. Cullen and I sitting at the same table, now facing one another, his hand still hovering my face. Jacob scowled, crossing the bar and setting the food and drink in front of me.

"Feel better, Bella," Jacob said, turning to walk away. He paused halfway across the bar before hollering over his shoulder, "And if you ever get tired of working for this asshole, you know where I'll be!" And with that, Jacob Black pushed open the doors of the bar and disappeared into the night. Mr. Cullen and I sat in silence for a moment, neither one of us speaking, before he finally slid the sandwich and Coke across the table in front of me.

"Eat," he demanded firmly, no room for argument in his voice. Glaring at him, I picked at the sandwich, tearing off pieces of roast beef and popping it into my mouth. The bread was a little hard, but other than that, it was an alright sandwich. Before long I'd inhaled the entire thing and drank half of the Coke. Looking up, I met Mr. Cullen's eyes, which were no longer disapproving.

I pushed the plate away and leaned back into my chair, crossing my arms against my chest. "So what about that elephant?" I asked, the sugar and carbs rushing through my bloodstream making me feel suddenly bold. He cocked one eyebrow, his eyes lighting up in amusement.

"Yes, the elephant being the fact that you left the scene of a crime like you were the one _committing_ the crime. Is that what happened Ms. Swan? Were you somehow involved in the robbery?"

"Excuse me?" I asked in disbelief, staring at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean by that?"

He smirked, running his fingers through his beautiful sex-hair. "It makes sense, in a way. You pretend that you're simply in the right place at the right time when the crime goes down. You throw yourself in harm's way to save a poor little rich girl and her two rich friends. And then, _coincidentally_, you _just so happen to work_ at the _same bar_ that said rich girl's brother is thinking about buying? Do you really believe I'm that stupid, Ms. Swan?"

"Why would I do something like that?" I asked, dumbfounded. Nothing that he said was making sense in my head. He reached across the table, grabbing the Coke top and spinning it around in circles across the tabletop.

"Hmmmm...I don't know," he said, sarcastically. "Gain my family's trust? Maybe you're working for the government...or maybe you work for someone else who'd like to get inside information on my family. Another crime family, perhaps? We certainly have enemies, Ms. Swan. Yes, I'm sure this is all a ruse to gain my family's trust. My sister is already frantic with wanting to find you and thank you properly for what you did that night. You've already gained _her_ trust. _She's _the reason I ran after you in the first place," he shrugged. That made me pause.

"She is?" I asked carefully, having asked myself every day why this man chased me that night. He continued to spin the top, but eventually met my wondering gaze. "Yes," he told me, his voice steady, his right eye twitching slightly. My gaze narrowed, and I let out a huff of annoyance. Pushing my chair away from the table, I stood up, my mouth set in a fine line of anger.

"'Where are you going, Ms. Swan?" he asked, standing from the table and following me to the door. I shoved the doors open and ambled down the sidewalk, leaving him with his frantic attempt at locking the doors of the bar. My anger grew deeper the further I made it down the sidewalk, and I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. He caught up to me rather quickly, falling in step with me. He said nothing as he walked beside me in silence, shooting curious glances at my angry expression.

"You're a liar," I muttered, the anger continuing to boil. He now stared at me unwaveringly as we turned a corner and passed a parking garage. The streets were completely deserted and I briefly wondered what time it was.

"What do you mean by..." he started, but I turned on my heel, stopping him in his tracks, poking my finger into his hard chest, the anger finally boiling over.

"You accuse me of all this stuff, which is_ stupid_, by the way, and then you _lie to me _about why you chased me that night! You need to turn around, go home and leave me the hell alone! Don't look at me, don't speak to me...don't even breathe my name!" I swung around, stomping away from him, angry tears threatening to spill over my cheeks. I didn't make it two steps before Mr. Cullen grabbed my arm, swinging me around and then pressed me roughly against a brick building. My chest heaved with my ragged breath as I stared up at him. He held my arms against the building firmly, almost painfully and his face was dangerously close to mine.

"You think I'm_ lying_ about why I chased you Ms. Swan?" he whispered in a dangerous, yet seductive voice into my ear, his warm peppermint breath washing over me. Goosebumps erupted against my skin as my traitor body shivered.

"No...I don't _think_ you're lying. I know you are. I just don't know why," I answered in the strongest voice possible, glancing up into those pine-colored eyes which were boring into mine. "There's something about you...I can't explain it. I could just _tell_ that you were lying to me...and I can't stand a liar."

"You're wrong, Ms. Swan...well, at least partly wrong. My sister _begged_ me to find you. But she's not the only reason I searched for you that night. Do you _really_ want to know why I chased you that night, Ms. Swan?" he asked quietly, his lips now brushing against my ear, causing my body to burn in desire.

"_Yes_..." I whimpered, his voice, his _smell_ invading my body, completely taking away all of my anger...all of my willpower...all of my strength.

"Fine, Ms. Swan," he replied, his nose skirting against my ear. "You want to know the truth, so here it is. I chased you that night because I have never _wanted_ someone so bad in my life. When I saw you standing in front of that store..." he paused, and I felt his lips and tongue on my earlobe as he sucked it gently into his mouth. I moaned loudly, not caring that I was standing on a public sidewalk in the middle of the night pressed against a building by a man I barely knew. "When I saw you standing in front of that store, I was hit with a _want _so strong, all rational thought left my body," he confessed in a broken voice. "What have you done to me, Ms. Swan? Why can't I stop thinking about you? Have you bewitched me?"

He let go of my wrists, grabbed my hips and pressed his body fully into mine, shoving me harder against the brick wall, causing my short blue jean skirt to rise dangerously high. Grabbing my left leg he hoisted it up and ground himself against me, his lips abandoning my earlobe as he nibbled delicately at the skin on my neck. I could feel his _hardness _against me and I'd never felt like this before...I'd never felt so good.

His breath was warm on my face as he continued to press himself against me. He stared at my lips breathing heavily and leaned forward. I closed my eyes and parted my lips in anticipation for my first real, passionate kiss...a kiss that never came.

**A/N:**** I DO NOT ENCOURAGE KIDS TO PLAY WITH GUNS; IT'S JUST PART OF BELLA'S STORY. I KNOW A COUPLE OF YOU WANTED TO SEE EMMETT, SO PLEASE DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. I HAVE ALREADY WORKED ON A CHAPTER WITH HIM IN IT THAT I THINK YOU WILL ****_LOVE_****; HIS PERSONALITY JUST DIDN'T FIT IN WITH THIS CHAPTER, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT. HAS YOUR OPINION CHANGED ABOUT EDWARD? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE LEMON 'ZEST' I ADDED IN THE END THERE? IS BELLA CRAZY TO BE ATTRACTED TO THIS MAN? I KNOW MY CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN RATHER LENGTHY, BUT I FIND THIS IS THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO WRITE. DO YOU WANT SHORTER CHAPTERS OR SHOULD I CONTINUE TO POST THE LONG ONES? I NEVER REALLY REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT REVIEWS WERE UNTIL I STARTING WRITING MY FIRST STORY. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LOG IN AND REVIEW! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! **

**JHOOD ;)**


	5. Chapter 5: Ghosts

**A/N****: WOW...I LOVE THE REVIEWS...MY FAVORITE SO FAR! THEY MAKE ME FEEL ALL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE. KEEP THEM UP! AS USUAL, YOU GUYS ROCK! **

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS TWILIGHT. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. **

_Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck_  
_Some nights, I call it a draw_  
_Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle_  
_Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off_

_But I still wake up, I still see your ghost_  
_Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh_  
_What do I stand for? What do I stand for?_  
_Most nights, I don't know anymore..._

_Some Nights-_

_Fun._

**CHAPTER FIVE: GHOSTS**

I stood waiting for the kiss, my hands draped over the lean muscles of Edward's shoulders, my lips tingling in anticipation. Edward clung to me, his hands firmly squeezing my thighs, when a low, dark chuckle escaped his lips. Slowly, my eyelids fluttered open and I looked up to find Edward's eyes, cold and hard, staring down at me. A cynical scowl graced his handsome face.

"Is this what you wanted, Ms. Swan? To _seduce _me? Is that part of your plan? If so...you underestimate me...and I hope you enjoy disappointment," he murmured, his hands slipping from my body as he stepped away, leaving me wanton. He crossed his arms over his impressive chest, glaring down at me.

My body slid limply down the brick wall, my eyes staring back at him wide with shock. My face began to burn with humiliation and then an uncontrollable anger. "You jerk!" I shouted, throwing my hands up, shoving past him down the deserted sidewalk, feeling dirty, cheap and used. Tired of his unfounded accusations, I did what I do best. I walked away.

"Oh, come on, Ms. Swan," he laughed bitterly, causing me to stop and whirl around. He stood just where I'd left him, his hands now casually pressed into his front pockets. "Do not think that it escaped my notice that you and Jacob Black were very well acquainted back at the bar. The Black family has been after the Cullen's for years...always trying to take what they can't have. It doesn't surprise me that he found a beautiful young women to encroach upon us. It's happened before...except the last person to try that is no longer breathing. What did he do, bribe you with money? Drugs? Sex?"

"You don't know anything about me, Edward Cullen," I yelled, pointing my finger at him, enraged at his suggestions. "But know this, I'm not the person that you seem to think I am. My name is Isabella Swan, and I helped your sister that night at the store because, _unlike you_, I'm a good person who would never intentionally allow anyone to harm an innocent girl. Mr. Cullen, you're an _asshole_ and the best thing that you can do is just stay away from me!" I screamed, the last part with tears, _freaking tears_, trailing down my face.

Spinning around, I stomped all the way home, staring at the pavement through my blurry vision. He followed me all the way back to my tiny apartment, not that I ever saw him or heard him. I could just physically feel his presence the entire time I walked home. He never stopped me, let alone explain why he followed me to begin with. I wasn't scared that he knew where I lived. This man, feared by others, was not feared by me. There was only one man I feared on this earth, a man who _wouldn't_, who _couldn't _find me, and it was not Edward Cullen. When I reached the building, I let myself in and never looked back.

After entering the apartment, I threw myself on my bed and screamed violently into my deep, soft pillow, kicking my feet against the mattress. Turning over, I wiped the tears from my face, bitterness consuming me. How dare he?! He didn't know me! He ruined what I thought was my first real, passionate kiss with a man whom I was undeniably attracted to. _"And what does that say about me," _I asked myself in horror, my body suddenly turning cold. What does that say about me..about my attraction to this man? How could I be attracted to this arrogant jerk who threw me roughly against a brick wall, treating me like a two-bit hooker. He hadn't forced himself on me...and, although I barely knew the man, I knew in my heart he wasn't the type of person who would ever force himself on someone.

I rubbed my wrists absently as I remembered how he pressed them against the brick wall...almost painfully...and I _liked _it! How can a person with a past like mine enjoy a dominating, controlling man fiercely pressing me against a wall as he had done? _"A sick person, that's who," _I thought, fresh tears forming in my eyes as I stared at the ceiling. Turning on my side and clutching a pillow, overcome with self-loathing, I felt something hard jabbing me in my side. Sitting up, I reached into my pocket and removed my cell phone. I always turned it off at work and normally turned it back on when I started my walk back home. With all the commotion and stress of the night, I forgot to turn it back on. After flipping the tiny switch on the side of the phone, it lit up and dinged with voice messages and texts. Tia had texted a couple of times and Carmen had left three very concerned voice messages. _"I've only got one good thing going for me, and it's having such great friends," _I thought to myself, the first real smile of the night crossing my face. After quickly texting them back that I made it home perfectly safe and going to try to take a nap, I lay back down on the bed, the stressful night finally taking its toll on my body. Overcome with exhaustion, I found myself drifting into a fitful slumber, my dreams full of past memories.

_I was ten years old the first time I met James Hunter. My mother had passed away months earlier, and upon her death my father had mentally checked out, leaving me to fend for myself more so than usual as he slipped into a deep depression. My father, Charlie, rarely left his bed unless it was to occasionally show his face at work. Things became really bad when I started going to bed hungry due to lack of food in the pantry. Jasper started noticing the baby fat slipping away from me and questioned me about my weight loss._

_"It's hard to eat when there's no food," I had shrugged and watched as his face turned an angry shade of red. That night Jasper's father, Uncle Peter, kicked open the door of our small house, Jasper at his side. He demanded that I pack my belongings, and I did so, quietly and without question. With Jasper's help, I shoved my meager belongings into a couple of suitcases and Jasper made sure to grab my favorite books from the rickety shelf near my bed. Jasper shooed me out of the house, but not before I caught a glimpse of Uncle Peter slugging my father in the face, knocking him to the ground. My father sat up, dizzily, and the look he cast towards me before I crossed the threshold was one of defeat, not regret. _

_I moved in with Jasper, Uncle Peter and Aunt Charlotte. My Aunt Charlotte was a sweet woman who taught me how to sew and loved dressing me in girly sundresses with bows in my hair. Uncle Pete was slightly twisted, and he loved watching me shoot a gun wearing those stupid sundresses. Jasper and I spent the summer perfecting our target shooting. I'd been handling guns, with Uncle Peter and Jasper, since I was around eight years old, and was surprisingly good at it. The rifle I shot now was not as powerful as the one Jasper and I took hunting that fateful day I knocked myself unconscious, but it still took me awhile to become comfortable shooting it. Jasper taught me to use my emotions to my advantage by placing them into the gun...and before long I was the best shooter in the family, even better than my Uncle Peter. _

_The primitive bow and arrow was the weapon that I used the best. There was something about holding a primitive weapon that made me feel tall and powerful. I, little Bella Swan, became quite skillful with the bow and arrow, shooting birds and squirrels as they played among the pine branches, ending their lives with a simple pull of a string. And, although the bow and arrow was the weapon I used best, my favorite weapon was a black, shiny handgun that Jasper had passed down to me. The gun was slick, dark and fit perfectly in my small hands. I treated it like a precious gem, cleaning it just the way Jasper had taught me and sleeping with it not far from my bed._

_It was in Uncle Peter's backyard, where I stood gallantly ending the lives of innocent woodland creatures with my shiny black handgun that I first met James Hunter. _

_"Bella! This is James Hunter, an old friend of mine," I heard Pete call. "James, you gotta see what my niece can do with a gun, man. Jasper has trained her well...too well I guess. She's the best shot I've ever seen," I heard him murmur, creating a sense of pride to burst forth within me. I turned to watch the men approach, my trusty gun clutched carefully in my right hand._

_Walking beside my uncle was a man of average height, his body covered in lean muscles, his long blonde hair clasped at the base of his neck with an elastic band. He wore faded blue jeans and a white t-shirt. His eyes were crystal blue and completely soulless. The gait of this man was reptillian...in fact he reminded me of a cottonmouth snake, venemous and deadly. The mans eyes flitted over my ridiculous yellow sundress, my chocolate hair drawn up into pigtails on either side of my head, topped in two huge white hair bows. The man burst into laughter, his eyes cutting to Uncle Peter's as he shot him an incredulous grin._

_"Pete, you expect me to believe this is the 'sure-shot' Jasper's been training? She's a little kid! She's no more than ten years old!" he laughed, reaching into the front pocket of his t-shirt and removing a pack of cigarettes. Pulling one from the pack, he lit it with a silver lighter and took a deep drag. He turned to me, smoke billowing out of his lungs making him resemble an angry dragon. "Kid, you know how to use that gun?" he taunted, spitting on the ground._

_"I might be a kid, but I'm the best shot around these parts," I spoke up boldly, cocking the gun._

_"I highly doubt that kid. Pete, call me when you find a real person to train, a boy preferably. No girls, Pete. Women are for cooking, cleaning, fucking and taking care of kids, not shooting a gun," he laughed, the cigarette hanging from his lips, his laughter creating an uncontrollable anger to burn inside of me. _

_Without hesitation, I brought the gun up, gripping it with both hands, aimed towards the man's face and shot, blasting the cigarette clean out of his mouth, leaving only the filter dangling from his lips._

_Pete and the man stood in stunned silence for a moment before Pete burst into guffaws of laughter, bending over at his waist and clutching his abdomen. "What'd I tell ya James?" The kid's got talent and balls too! A true Swan!" he laughed hysterically. James spit the filter from his mouth, staring at me in such as strange way that made me cock my gun again._

_"What the fuck, kid? What if you'd missed? You'd blown my fucking head off!" he yelled, nervously removing the pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. _

_"She never misses," Uncle Peter bragged, his laughter now having died down as he wiped tears of laughter from his face. _

_"You're wrong, Uncle Peter," I spoke up, my childlike voice ringing softly through the air, through the memory, through my dream. "That was the first time I ever missed." I stared back at James evenly, as he removed another cigarette from the pack and lit it. He did so with shaky fingers. Peter cleared his throat and I caught him glaring at me before abruptly apologizing to his new associate. James left shortly after that, shooting me another strange look that held a promise of something...something that as a kid I did not recognize. After he left Uncle Peter beat me with a belt, not for shooting the cigarette from the man's mouth but for insinuating I meant to intentionally kill him._

_That was the first time that I'd met James Hunter, but it certainly wouldn't be the last._

I awoke, gasping for breath, covered in sweat, my clothes clinging to me in a sticky mess. Launching myself from the bed, I ran across the apartment barely making it to my bathroom in time to expel what little I had left in my stomach into the commode. My hands grasped the cold porcelain as I heaved into the bowl, gagging with tears streaming down my face. After spitting several times and taking deep, shaky breaths, I curled myself in the fetal position on the cool linoleum floor.

Damn that Edward Cullen! The dreams hadn't come back in months! My life had become somewhat normal before _he_ showed up! Standing on two shaky legs, I turned the shower on as hot as comfortably possible, striped the wrinkled clothes from my body and emerged myself in the hot spray. Closing my eyes, I prayed for the hot water to wash my unpleasant memories from my mind. After drying off and changing into a comfy pair of gray yoga pants and a holey t-shirt, I busied myself around the apartment, cleaning and doing laundry with a vengeance. My grandmother had taught me long ago that a person who stays busy rarely has time to sit around feeling sorry for themself. Some time after she passed away, my Aunt Charlotte confessed that my grandmother had suffered from anxiety and that was why she was always in a whirlwind, cleaning, cook and sewing. This was her way of coping with the difficulties of life, such as raising two fine sons who turned out anything but.

The distraction worked for a while, until everything was as clean and shiny as it could be. I stood in the middle of the living room gnawing on my thumbnail until it was a bloody nub, my eyes darting around the room critically. Heaving a heavy sigh, I walked over to the fridge removing a bowl of leftover spaghetti that I warmed up in my small, black microwave. When I finished, I washed the bowl, leaning against the countertop and let out another heavy sigh.

Distraction wasn't working.

I needed to talk to someone...and I'd be damned before I called T or Carmen. They did not need to know about the 'almost' make-out session with Edward Cullen. They would tease me relentlessly and I could only imagine being in the same room with those two plus Edward. Things would be more uncomfortable than they already were, assuming that I still _had_ a job at the bar...for all I knew, Mr. Cullen would probably fire me, that is, if he were to rely solely on his own assumptions about me.

I could call Jasper, but I'd never talked to him about a man before, and I imagined the conversation would be slightly awkward and a little more than uncomfortable. When I became a teenager, Jasper became even more protective of me than usual, overbearing even, making me slightly resentful towards him. That is, until James Hunter did what he did to me. It was then that his protective nature became appreciated. But by then it was too little, too late. No, I couldn't call Jasper.

My thoughts drifted to Emmett. Emmett had been my step-brother for a little while, my father having briefly been married his mother, Sue, a few years after my mother passed away. Emmett and I were the same age and, unlike most step-siblings, we clicked instantly. He was a big bear of a man, and always had been, even when we were younger. Our parents had since divorced, but we were still very close, however, I could only take Emmett like you take medicine, in small, measured doses. It wasn't just his stature that was big...his personality was large as well and completely overwhelming. No, I couldn't call Emmett. If he knew how Edward had treated me...let's just say it wouldn't go over very well. Emmett, like Jasper, had a very protective nature about him. But, unlike Jasper who is very calm, calculating and processes information around him before taking action, Emmett bursts into any situation like gangbusters. He'd probably show up at the bar shooting the place up once he learned how Edward had treated me.

My only other option was Angela, who, after I glanced at the clock on the wall, was probably now home from work. Leaving the safety of my apartment, I crossed the hallway and knocked gently on her door. Soft, muffled music played behind the door and I could hear Eric squealing happily. After a moment, the door opened and Angela's happy face appeared.

"Hey, girl, come on in," she sang, a smile on her face. The smile slipped away as she took in my serious expression. "Oh, no...what's wrong?" she asked, concern wrinkling her brow.

I slid past her and went directly to the kitchen table where Eric was sitting in his high chair happily rubbing purée sweet potatoes all over his face. I giggled, rubbing the top of his head affectionately as he smiled at me, blowing sweet potato flavored bubbles out of his mouth that I jumped to avoid. Grabbing a chair from the table, I sat just far enough away from him to not get sprayed with the disgusting orange glob.

"What's wrong, girl?" Angie asked, cleaning Eric's face and hands with a damp hand towel. She threw it on the table and Eric immediately stuck his hands back into his bowl and smeared the orange gunk back on his face, laughing away. Angie released a sigh, shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I met Edward Cullen...and he's...ummm...sort of _buying_ the bar where I work...and we may have possibly made out, but I guess _technically_ we didn't make out because there was no real kissing involved...just a bunch of...grinding and earlobe sucking..." I babbled rapidly, my body starting to burn down _there _remembering the way Edward's _hard cock _had ground against me and his warm mouth _suckled_ on my earlobe. Angie's mouth dropped open in shock, comically, like one of those cartoon characters that I watched as a kid on Saturday mornings.

"Uh, okay, maybe you need to start over at the beginning," she said, interrupting my incoherent babbling.

Nodding in agreement I did as she asked, watching as her eyes grew wider and wider as my story progressed from walking in to work, then fainting, and then to being pressed roughly against the brick wall, all hot and bothered. My face was bright red as I finished telling her the story.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, like a fish gasping for air, before she finally blurted, "That's so..._hot_!"

Covering my face with my hands, I moaned, "_No_, Angie! It's not hot! I'm a crazy person!" I stood up from the chair, causing Angie to jump in surprise. "I liked it, Angie! I told you about James...about what he did to me! What kind of sick person would go through something like that and then enjoy being mauled in the street?" I asked, slumping back down in the chair. Bending over, I held my face in my hands, trying with all my will not to cry.

"Bella," Angie spoke softly, patting my back. I looked up at her, my eyes burning but devoid of tears...there were no tears left. I'd already cried them all out. Angie gave me a sweet, sympathetic smile.

"I'm going to tell you something, Bella, and I want you to listen carefully," she began, removing her hand from my back and pushing her glasses back up her nose. "You know I work at a nursing home...some of those people, they went through horrible things in their lives. This one woman...her father and uncle would take turns on her when she was just a small child. She has flashbacks of those nights and she talks about it every single day...she screams out at night, thinking that her father and her uncle are in her room coming to take turns on her. It's horrible. And she's completely hypersexual. We had a new guy, a male housekeeper, go into her room to sweep...the woman was yelling at him to get in her bed and have sex with her. She even grabbed him and tried to pull him in the bed. It freaked him out so bad that he walked out right then and quit."

"Then I take care of another lady," Angie said, leaning back in her chair, her eyes staring over my shoulder blankly. "She's the opposite. She was leaving work one night when a man attacked and raped her as she was unlocking her car. She's terrified of men, even the male patients. She stays in her room shut off from the outside world. She curls up in her bed crying most of the time. That happened to her when she was twenty-six years old...she's seventy now and it still consumes her life every single day."

"And lastly," she told me, still staring into space in deep thought, "I take care of a little woman...even smaller than you. She was in college when her attack happened. A group of drunk frat boys raped her one night as she walked back to her dorm room from the library. I would never have known this if she hadn't explained it to me herself. She was watching a television show and the episode had the same scenario and do you know what she said?" she asked, I shook my head solemnly. "She said, 'Angie, that can happen to anybody, but you can't let your past dictate your future.' She's the strongest person I know, next to you, that is. She graduated college, married the love of her life and had five kids."

"Angie, I get what you're trying to say...but it still doesn't explain why I enjoyed the way Edward treated me," I whispered, overcome with sympathy for the patients that Angie cared for.

"The point is, my dear friend," Angie responded, cocking her eyebrow. "You're letting your past dictate your future. You only think that you're sick because of what James did to you. If that incident hadn't taken place, you wouldn't be second-guessing yourself now. You don't need to beat yourself up because you find a dominating, aggressive man attractive. There is nothing abnormal about getting spanked, having your hair pulled or even light slapping. Anyone who tells you any different is a biased and judgemental person, and I wouldn't take advice from anyone like that."

"So...you don't think there's anything wrong with me?" I hesitantly asked, slightly shocked that quiet little Angie basically admitted that kinky sex was completely normal.

"No, Bella," she sighed, standing up to clean Eric again. "I don't think anything is wrong with you. If you were to tell me you enjoyed getting the shit beat out of you or wanted him to simulate rape...then I'd be concerned. There is nothing wrong with enjoying kinky sex...and I even understand your attraction to a jerk like Edward. I think all women at some point in their lives find themselves attracted to...a bad boy, to put it mildly. I know I have." She mumbled the last sentence as she stared down at her now clean son as he smiled cheeky at her, causing a sad smile to cross her face. I often wondered about Eric's father...but Angie never mentioned him and it came across as a closed topic.

"You know," she mused, interrupting my thoughts of Eric's father. "Don't get me wrong...but can you really blame Edward for what he said? I'm on your side no matter what, girl...but I can't imagine being in his place. You know it's hard for him to meet someone...to fall in love...when you have to constantly question if they're really there for_ you _and not there for the money, the notoriety or for someone else's sick agenda. I feel kind of sorry for Edward Cullen...no wonder he's such a dick head."

Angie was right...to an extent. Mr. Cullen possibly did have a difficult time trusting people, but he still had no right to shoot accusations my way, voicing false assumptions. After speaking with Angie, I did feel better about the _pleasure_ I felt when pressed against that hard, brick wall. Just thinking about his lips on my neck sent waves of desire coursing throughout my body and I had to excuse myself from Angie's apartment, leaving my friend bewildered, so that I could take another shower...this time it was a _cold_ shower.

As I dressed for work that night, I stared at my deep brown eyes in the mirror, almost not recognizing the girl who stood before me. Her mouth stretched in a firm line, chin slightly raised. Determination dominated her face as she spread pale-colored lipstick along her rosy lips. I'm not a weak person and no man, no matter _who _he is, will make me feel weak again. He liked what happened between us...I felt how much he liked it against my leg...but it was only his body reacting...a body that felt like a bomb waiting to go off. _"Maybe he'll explode," _I thought to myself, causing the girl in the mirror to chuckle dryly.

"If he wants a war, he's got a war. I hope he knows that he's playing with fire, and he is about to get burned,"

I whispered to my reflection...and by the look on her face, she agreed. Placing the lipstick back on the dresser, I left the apartment, my head held high, ready to catch whatever curveball Mr. Cullen had ready to throw my way.

**A/N****: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BELLA'S PAST? WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO ABOUT EDWARD...MAKE HIM MISERABLE OR FALL UNDER HIS WICKED SPELL? DO THEY HAVE SOME THINGS IN COMMON WITH ONE ANOTHER? WHAT DO ****_YOU _****WANT TO HAPPEN? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ATTRACTED TO A PERSON THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE? REVIEW AND I MAY THROW OUT ANOTHER CHAPTER TOMORROW...LEAVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS ;)**


	6. Chapter 6: Whiskey Fingers

**A/N****: HEY, GUYS! I KNOW YESTERDAY'S CHAPTER WAS SHORT...I'VE BEEN SICK...AND I DROPPED A VACUUM ON MY FOOT WHILE I WAS CLEANING MY HUBBY'S DEER HEAD MOUNT...AND SOMEONE SHOT MY REDBONE COONHOUND. DAMNIT, I'M REALLY SOUNDING LIKE A REDNECK NOW, BUT I SWEAR IT'S ALL TRUE! THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO THE REVIEWER WHO SHAMELESSLY BRIBED ME WITH HER REVIEW! I GUESS IT WORKED!**

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS ALL THINGS TWILIGHT. I OWN A REMODELED HOUSE ORIGINALLY BUILD IN THE 20'S, 10 ACRES OF FERTILE MISSISSIPPI SOIL, AND A GREEN FIELD WHERE THE GHOST OF A DEAD MAN STILL LINGERS...NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.**

**CHAPTER 6: WHISKEY FINGERS**

Filled with a renewed sense of purpose, I practically skipped into McMillan's, grinning at Tia and Carmen who exchanged worried glances with one another. Shrugging, I passed the bar and clocked my card, adamantly ignoring Patrick's closed office door, trying not to let my mind wonder about who could be behind that office door. Joining Tia and Carmen, I was slightly surprised to still see the daytime bartenders lounging around the bar, now clocked out and drinking. Normally they would be gathering their belongings ready to leave, tired of hanging around the bar all day long.

"Hey, what happened last night?" Carmen asked, eyebrows scrunched and her bottom lip sticking out. Tia was by her side watching me critically.

"Uh I think it was just nerves with the 'selling the bar' thing plus I was in a rush and didn't eat supper last night," I explained with a shrug. "But I'm fine now." Hey, it wasn't exactly a lie...I just chose to leave Edward out of the scenario. There was no need for Tia and Carmen to find out I fainted over a man. They'd never let me hear the end of it.

"Well, I hope you ate today," Carmen said, her slender face twisting into a smirk. "I was beginning to think you just did it so that Mr. Cullen could catch you in his arms."

"No, that's something you would do, you butt-slut!" Tia scolded Carmen as she mixed a drink for a customer. My face began to feel warm, and I knew a blush was covering my cheeks.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen!" Carmen cried, pretending to swoon, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead, her eyelids fluttering. "Please save me Mr. Cullen!" she sang in a fake, southern accident, in a failed attempted to disguise her northern one. She swayed on her feet for a moment before falling against the bar in a fit of giggles.

"I do not sound like that!" I hissed, swatting Carmen with a hand towel, catching Jessica Stanley staring at us from where she perched at the bar.

Jessica was one of the daytime bartenders that we relieved at night. She had the front of her long over-processed blonde hair pulled back in a big pink barrette that clashed horribly with the required clover-green shirt that she wore and her face was coated in thick, bold makeup. She was sucking a mixed drink through a straw, in an attempt to appear seductive for any men in the vicinity. Tia was glowering at her...

"Hey, why are they still here?" I whispered to T, nodding my head towards Jessica and the other two bartenders, Lauren and Tyler. Lauren was flipping her long, corn silk hair over one shoulder and practically fondling Tyler who looked particularly disinterested as he scrolled through his cell phone.

"Patrick told them to stay behind...he's got an announcement to make. He's probably going to say 'Oh...uh...hey...ummm...' for like five minutes and then fire us all," Tia replied, shrugging.

"I wish he would hurry up," Jessica pouted, batting her long fake eyelashes. "I've got a date tonight and I don't want to keep him waiting," she giggled.

"Of course you don't, sweetie. Now stop sucking on that straw like that or you'll be all wore out tonight. That guy'll dump you on your ass if your mouth ain't working," Tia cooed sarcastically, causing Jessica to immediately withdraw her mouth from the straw, staring at it worriedly.

Carmen and I tried, unsuccessfully, to cover our giggles. It was no secret that Tia despised Jessica and her slutty ways. Laurent swore up and down that she'd even hit on him one time, even physically throwing herself at him in an awkward attempt to rub her big fake boobs on him. How that girl didn't realize he was gay was beyond me.

The unmistakable sound of Patrick clearing his throat broke me from my reverie, and I turned to watch him approach. His face was in its usual state of worry and unease. His curly hair frizzed out all around his head as he stood nervously by the bar, his hands full of paperwork. The pocket on his shirt held about ten ink pens and one had obviously not been recapped as a large, black stain had formed below the pocket. Patrick quietly inquired of my health and I responded, with a red face as Jessica Stanley stared at me, that I felt much better. He nodded and then turned to my coworkers.

"Uh...ugh...hum..okay guys, I..uh..called you all here for a short meeting," he began, shifting his weight anxiously from one foot to the other as his eyes briefly shifted to all of us. "I'm sure you've all heard that my father's health continues to deteriorate and my parents feel it is in the best interest of our family to sell the bar. We've been shopping around for a buyer...and found one. The bar will soon belong to Mr. Edward Cullen...I know some of you are worried that your employment at McMillan's could be terminated, however, Mr. Cullen voiced to me that this is not his intention. He has assured me that he will put forth all his effort into sustaining as many of the current employees as possible. I'm sure you are all wondering what his plans are for the bar, and all I can say is that I honesty do not know. Mr. Cullen plans to come in tonight to watch the staff work...he has vast experience in the bar business and feels as though monitoring your work performance will help him accurately assess why the bar is failing..."

Tia suddenly interrupted him, one hand in the air, an angry scowl upon her face. "Hold up! Our work performance has nothing to do with why this bar is failing! This bar is failing because we have no money to buy the liquor we need...or cleaning supplies! This place is dirty and disgusting but it has nothing to do with our work performance!"

Patrick opened his mouth to respond, but this time it was Carmen interrupting him. "Patrick, no offense, but Tia is right. We understand that Mr. McMillan is sick and you guys are spending all that you can to get him the proper care that he needs, but a business _needs_ money to_ bring in _money...it has nothing to do with us!" She finished her rant with her hands on her hips and a pout on her narrow face.

"Plus you pull Bella from the bar to unclog toilets when they're stopped up, you make her wait tables when we're short on help and that leaves the bar short. Hell, I'm surprised you don't have her scrubbing the floors with a toothbrush," Tia spoke in an angry voice. Patrick opened his mouth, yet again to speak, but was once more interrupted by T, who looked ready to explode. "Plus you've got these..._skanks_...working during the day who couldn't mix a proper drink to save their life! I gotta wonder who the hell they slept with to get their bartending license!"

Lauren looked thoroughly offended while Jessica looked slightly thoughtful, staring into space, twirling a strand of long, blonde hair around one finger and sucking on her straw yet again. Tyler tried to cover his grin by placing his drink to his lips, but it was still there.

"Um, yeah, uh, I'm can't deny that I don't know how to run a bar," Patrick admitted, running his hands through his curls. "I take full responsibility for what has happened here and I'm truly sorry that we're in this situation. This is hard for me too, guys. This bar has been in my family for years..." Patrick's eyes became misty and I reached out, patting his arm sympathetically. He sniffed a couple of times before quietly excusing himself.

The normally playful, happy mood in the bar had shifted into one with a sad, somber undertone. Jessica, Tyler, Lauren and the rest of the daytime employees left, Lauren shooting one last glare at Tia. Tia smiled sweetly, flipping her off, causing Lauren's eyes to narrow in hateful little slits, the gold glitter eyeshadow she wore glaring harshly under the bar lights. She shoved the doors open with all her force, and then disappeared into the throng of people partying along Beale. We all worked together silently filling drink and food orders, each of us lost in our own thoughts of what the future held...a future in the hands of Edward Cullen.

The hands of the old wooden clock hanging above the doors creeped impossibly slow as the bar began filling with customers. My throat began to get that familiar tightness I felt when I was nervous about something...and after what happened last night I was extremely nervous to see Edward Cullen again. This man caused me question everything that I thought I knew about myself. He'd been rude to me and I'd been rude back...but he wasn't just some asshole that pissed me off. He was my soon-to-be new boss, and to say I worried about over possibly finding myself unemployed was an understatement.

Tia and Carmen continued to quietly work, worry clear on their faces as well. I guess we all had our reasons to worry. Carmen's sister was a recovering heroin addict, and what little money she had left after bills she spent on her sister, who went in and out of rehab often. Tia's mother sustained injuries while working in a furniture factory, leaving her disabled and dependent on Tia, with whom she had moved in with after withstanding multiple back surgeries. The disability check that she drew was practically non-existant and Tia's money went to doctor bills and paying for her mother's prescription medication.

Waylon and Diego eventually arrived at the bar, plopping down on the stools in front of us, cheeky grins spread across their faces. Diego reeked of cheap cologne and Waylon, as usual, wore his camouflage jacket even though it was still relatively warm outside. Waylon didn't seem as drunk as he typically was when he normally arrived at the bar and this secretly pleased me a great deal.

"What is up with the...what is the word," Diego mused in his thick, Spanish accent as he thoughtfully rubbed his small mustache. "Ah! The _ambiance_! That is the word! The _ambiance_ in this bar, it is all wrong!"

Tia and Carmen shrugged sourly at his inquiry, but a small smile crept across my face as an idea flickered in my mind. As surreptitiously as possible, I eased over to the player dock and plugged up my phone just as the last song ended. I knew precisely what to do to improve the mood in this place and get our minds off Edward Cullen. Scrolling down, I chose the exact song I wanted, a sneaky giggle escaping my mouth as I returned to my station. Diego stared at me curiously as I shot him an evil wink.

"_Well, it was all that I could do to keep from crying_," the speakers crooned.

"Fuck my life," Tia muttered, turning to me with a murderous scowl. Carmen began giggling and I grinned sweetly at Tia.

"_Sometimes it seems so useless to remain, but you don't have to call me darlin', darlin', you neverrrrr even called me by myyyy nammmmme_," Carmen crooned, clasping her hands together and swaying back and forth. She reached over and slung one arm over my shoulders and I did the same as we continued to sing the ridiculous country song. Waylon and Diego roared with laughter as Tia glared angrily at us.

"I swear to all that is holy I will cut your throats if you don't cut that shit off _right now_!" she fumed, grabbing a bottle of Jack from the shelf, her angry eyes never leaving ours. We simply giggled in response.

"Come on, T! I know for a fact that you know the words! Sing it with us T!" Carmen pleaded grabbing the sleeve of her shirt. Tia quickly shrugged her away.

"Of course I know the damn words. Bella only plays this shit every day!"

"I do not!" I argued, with a smirk. "Only when it's my playlist day."

"My blackness will not allow me to sing this song. Waylon, if I get a gun will you please just shoot me now?" she asked seriously, leaning across the bar, staring into his eyes. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and Diego burst into laughter, swaying drunkenly on the bar stool.

"Shut up!" Carmen hissed. "This is my favorite part!" By this point everyone in the bar was cheering us on, chanting for us to sing. Carmen dragged me around the bar as I protested, pulling out a chair from an empty table and jumped on the chair, her petite frame wobbling slightly as she straightened herself.

_"Well I was drunk the day my ma got out of prison. And I went to pick her up in the rainnnnnn. But beforrree I could get to the station in the pickupppppp truck, she got ranned over by a damnnnned old trainnnnnnnnn!" _she sang, swaying back and forth on the unsteady chair. The bar erupted in shouts and laughter as she tittered slightly and fell from the chair, landing in my waiting arms.

Unfortunately, the force of the fall caused us both to land in a giggling heap on the floor as the customers continued to sing the chorus, laughing and shouting. And then, suddenly, the music abruptly cut off, everyone in the bar still singing for a moment until their voices awkwardly dwindled away. Carmen and I stood up, brushing our clothes off, confused by the ending of our impromptu concert...that is, until I looked up at the player dock. Because standing there with a fatal scowl, stood none other than Edward Cullen.

He stood with one hand still lingering on the player dock, his expression dark and his copper hair a disorderly sexy mess. The soft, gray shirt he wore clung to his body, his muscles rippling beneath as he lowered his arm from the dock. The dark jeans that graced his perfect legs were slung low on his hips, and it took every ounce of strength in my body to will my eyes not to linger there.

Carmen and I exchanged worried glances before she shuffled quickly behind the bar, me lingering behind at a lower pace. She hung her head shamefully, hiding behind her hair as she began cleaning the bar with a wet dishcloth. Edward continued to stand there glaring at me as I offered my customers a refill. Diego and Waylon stared at Edward warily as he continued to watch me with a critical eye. I blatantly ignored him, slightly embarrassed that he'd caught Carmen and I acting like a couple of drunk sorority girls. The bar was silent aside from the quiet chatter and occasional burst of laughter from the customers.

My body began to hum as I leaned over the bar, sliding Diego his change. He was close...I could tell...why my body reacted this way to him I'll never know. It was as though a chemical reaction churned through my system anytime he was around, alerting me to his presence, almost as if he were the predator and I was the prey. Diego thanked me for my service, shooting an uneasy glare over my shoulder, and walked out of the bar, casting the bodyguard at the door a questioning glance.

"Ms. Swan," I heard his voice purr over my shoulder, immediately causing my nipples to harden and my thighs to clench in response. Silently, I cursed my traitor body, glad that I was wearing a padded bra that hopefully covered my straining nipples. Turning hesitantly, my brain chanted frantically for strength...show no weakness...this had been my intention all along, knowing that I would undoubtedly see this man again.

However, it was near impossible to stay strong while standing next to this man. I looked up into those villanous eyes as they roamed my face. The smell of this man...holy crap...someone should bottle that up and sell it. They'd make a fortune. He licked his lips as he stared at me...those pink, perfect lips...

"Is this yours, Ms. Swan?" he asked, holding up my phone. Nodding, I went to grab it, but he was too quick, pulling it away from my grasp and holding it tauntingly, a sly smirk on his face.

"Interesting playlist, Ms. Swan...old country, old school hip hop, rock, blues. You certainly have an eclectic taste in music," he mused, scrolling through my phone with his flawless thumb. Growling, I grabbed at my phone again, my fingers brushing against his, sending shock waves raging through my body. He jumped slightly, at the contact of my fingers, almost as though he'd felt it too and easily released the phone. He stared down at his hand and then into my cautious eyes.

"I supposed everyone has different tastes in music," he said thoughtfully, those eyes still boring into mine. "I'm going to watch you girls work tonight," he said, in a slightly louder voice, glancing over at Tia and Carmen who nodded carefully. "I won't just stand behind the bar watching y'all. I'll help out as much as I can." This surprised me...Edward Cullen didn't strike me as the type of person to pitch in and help out when needed...Patrick never had.

I turned away from him, taking deep, ragged breaths, but I could feel his body ever so slightly brush against mine as he leaned over and whispered into my ear, "Try to concentrate, Ms. Swan...I don't need an employee who can't properly concentrate."

"Are you threatening to fire me, Mr. Cullen?" I hissed, my body consumed with anger. His only response was a poisonous smile. My eyes narrowed as he slid away, and I turned my head stealthily, watching him in my peripheral vision as he wandered over to the dock station. He removed a shiny black object from his pocket before sitting it on the dock. Feeling my eyes on him, he glanced back at me quickly, catching me staring at him. I felt my face blush a brilliant red as he gave me an evil smirk.

Tia and Carmen both shot me an inquisitive look which I chose to ignore, my face contorted in anger. How dare this asshole treat me the way he did last night and then come to work threatening to end my employment if I were to mess up! _'I'll show him,' _I thought, willing strong Bella to make an appearance. A new customer arrived, a young guy who didn't look old enough to drink. After checking his identification, I asked what he'd like to drink, and that's when an unfamiliar throbbing, sexual beat began pulsing from the speakers.

"Oh, shit," Tia muttered, accidentally spilling whiskey all over the bar. Raising my eyebrows in surprise, I watched as Tia cleaned up the mess, shocked that she even spilled anything to begin with...Tia never spilled drinks.

"It's this song," she muttered in explanation. "Why did he have to play this fucking song?" Her face pinched up in a painful expression. As the music continued to pound, I began to listen to the unfamiliar lyrics.

_"You let me violate you_

_You let me desecrate you_

_You let me penetrate you_

_You let me complicate you"_

At the word 'penetrate' I almost dropped the bottle of vodka I was holding, my hands suddenly turning shaky. Edward appeared next to me, grabbing the bottle from my hands and finished making my customer's drink, which he slid to him with a smile. "Remember, Ms. Swan," he whispered, his back to the bar as he crossed his arms and leaned casually against it. "No mistakes," he smirked. Glaring at him I moved to the next customer, taking his drink order and turned to reach for a bottle of Crown that was on the top shelf. Reaching as far up as I could, I suddenly heard a low groaning sound. Glancing over one shoulder I caught Mr. Cullen blatantly ogling the sliver of skin that had become exposed as I reached for the bottle.

Recovering quickly, he brushed past me, almost angrily, to reach for the bottle himself, clearing his throat as he did so. His shirt rode up as well and that's when I saw it; a washboard abdomen, rippling with well-defined muscles, cut with a deep ridges in the shape of a 'V' that led to the promised land...and an irish flag, tattooed right next to that 'V'. A fucking irish flag. My mind wandered where it didn't need to wander...as I imagined licking that flag tattoo. A lump formed in my throat and Edward turned, handing the bottle to me, a knowing grin on his stupid face as he did so.

_"Help me_

_Tear down my reason_

_Help me_

_It's your sex I can smell_

_Help me_

_You make me perfect_

_Help me become somebody else_

_I wanna fuck you like an animal_

_I wanna feel you from the inside"_

All rational thought left my mind as he stared down at me, handing me that glass bottle and those lyrics blared out of the speakers. The bottle slipped from my nimble fingers, shattering against the tiled floor. Shards of glass flew all around our feet and amber whiskey splashed over our shoes.

_"I drink the honey inside your hive_

_You are the reason I stay alive"_

Mr. Cullen's expensive shoes were now covered with sticky whiskey. He stared down at his shoes and then up at me with a glare so frightening that my fight-or-flight response kicked into overdrive. I chose flight. Running from the bar, I burst through the supply room, grabbing a broom and dustpan. I returned nervously to the bar station where Edward still stood, his face red with irritation.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured, the pounding of the speakers finally drifting away. Sitting the broom and dustpan down, I grabbed a roll of paper towels from beneath the bar, stooping to wipe Mr. Cullen's shoes with a trembling hand. Tears sprung to my eyes as I imagined I was surely fired now. I angrily wiped a tear away, clutching the paper towels with one hand, lightly blotting the whiskey from my new bosses shoes.

"Get up, Ms. Swan," I heard him whisper. My head shot up, as I stared up at him from the awkward position that I was in, crouching in front of him, alarmingly close to his crotch. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth, gnawing away anxiously. He clasped and unclasped his hands at his side, breathing deeply as he stared back at me, his eyes practically black.

"No," I told him firmly, watching as he raised his eyebrows. "I made a mistake...and I'm fixing it," I mumbled, as Carmen grabbed the broom and Tia held the dustpan. I continued to clean his shoes as he stood perfectly still, never once moving. Once I finished with his shoes, I stood up slowly, my shoulders hunched as I awaited my inevitable termination.

"Ms. Swan...can I speak to you privately for a moment," he asked, avoiding my gaze.

I nodded slowly, ignoring Tia and Carmen's nervous stare as I quietly followed him back to Patrick's office, wondering briefly where Patrick was. Mr. Cullen pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. Slipping the correct key in the door, he twisted the door open and gestured for me to enter, still avoiding my gaze. I slid carefully past him, my shoulder brushing delicately against his chest. I heard him draw in a sharp breath and heard the door close behind me.

Patrick's office was almost bare, besides the stacks of boxes leaning against one wall. The metal desk and chair still sat where they always had, the top of the desk now empty. I sat in a metal chair across from the desk as Mr. Cullen perched in a padded chair behind the desk. The office filled with a thick curtain of tension as we both sat quietly staring at one another. He finally broke the silence first, releasing a heavy sigh.

"Why are you crying, Ms. Swan," he asked, his voice surprisingly soft as he leaned back in the chair. Avoiding his eyes, I hung my head, brushing the tears away as I stared at the floor. Stupid Bella! Stupid, weak Bella, crying in front of this jerk of a man!

"Because you're going to fire me, Mr. Cullen," I murmured, my eyes never leaving the floor. He was silent for a moment and then ran his fingers through his delicious hair in frustration.

"I have no reason to fire you, Ms. Swan," he said, drawing my eyes back to his. His face had a softness to it that didn't exist before. He reached into a drawer in the desk, withdrawing a folder which he tossed on the desk. I stared at it for a moment, noticing my name scrawled upon its edge. "This is your employment record," he explained, his eyes watching me closely. "It's outstanding, really. You never call in sick and rarely ask for a day off that isn't scheduled. You show up for work on time and go above and beyond the requirements of a bartender."

"And I know that you're not working for Jacob Black," he admitted, my eyes snapping back to his. "I have a man on the inside working for Mr. Black. I spoke to him today...he confirmed that you barely know Mr. Black, let alone work for him."

"That's what I tried to tell you last night," I mumbled, slightly relieved that he realized I wasn't trying in any way to deceive him, but still angry about the accusations that he slung my way the night before..._the night before_...I shifted nervously in my seat, the memories of his lips on my ear...and my neck washing deliciously over my body. The same throbbing, twisting sensation returned as he watched me shift uncomfortably in my chair.

"Is there something wrong, Ms. Swan?" he asked, his voice dripping with sex. Gah, this man needed to quit talking! Was he doing this to me on purpose?

"Um, no, I was just going to apologize for ruining your shoes," I muttered, trying my best to quit wiggling in the chair.

He shocked me by letting out a wicked laugh, tossing his head back, his eyes shining. "Oh, Ms. Swan," he laughed, smirking smugly. "That was not your fault...I turned that song on for a reason. I knew it would make you flustered. I really couldn't help myself." He leaned across the desk, licking his lips.

"You made me look like an idiot on purpose?" I asked, cocking my head to one side. The worry of losing my job had long slipped away, and my nervousness momentarily set aside. Now I was just filled with confusion, wondering why this man would purposely upset me, making me look like a fool.

"No, Ms. Swan," he tisked, standing from the chair and walking around the desk. My eyes held his cautiously the closer he stalked towards me, his lean, panther-like body dangerously close to mine as he stood in front of me and leaned against the desk. "I wasn't trying to make you look like a fool. I must say...when you screamed at me last night and pushed me away, it did something to me. It sparked a fire in my body that I've never felt before. Do you know how many people speak to me like that and get away with it? No one, Ms. Swan. No one talks to me that way and gets away with it."

"_Isabella_," he whispered, his voice ringing with an unfamiliar fragility. He gently reached towards my face, pulling my bottom lip from its place between my teeth. "I'm sure it's a sin...but I do love to make you flustered...and angry. You don't even know how beautiful you are, do you? Especially when you're angry...you are so fucking beautiful. I'm so sorry, Bella. I don't want to hurt you...but I don't know how to be a good man...I'm not a good person...I really want to be, but I'm not," he murmured, pressing his thumb gently against my bottom lip, his eyes never wavering. "If you're smart, you'll stay far, far away from me."

This man...this stupid man created a monster inside of me that clawed and struggled to get out, wavering my resolve, making me want to drown strong Bella. "_Screw strong Bella_,"I thought to myself, relying purely on instinct as I grabbed his hand and sucked his thumb into my warm mouth. His eyes grew incredibly wide and he sucked in a deep breath at my actions. I stared up at him, clutching his hand as I sucked on his thumb, enjoying the carnal desire in his eyes.

"Fuck!" he moaned, the sound shooting straight between my legs. I moaned back, sucking harder on his thumb which tasted like sugar and whiskey, pulling it in and out of my mouth. With his free hand he began running his fingers through my long, brown hair, lightly massaging my scalp with the tips of his fingers.

Standing up suddenly, I shoved him back on the desk, his eyes springing open in shock, his shirt riding up over his toned abdomen. Those jeans, those freaking jeans were slung so low that I could see the waistband of his underwear, and that stupid irish flag tattoo continued to call my name. I yanked on his jeans, leaning between his legs, my breasts brushing against his inner thighs, causing a hiss to escape his mouth.

I found what I was looking for, a devious grin crossing my face. He stared down at me intently as I leaned over and did what I'd imagined doing since I first saw it...flicking my hot tongue over that stupid, sexy tattoo. He moaned my name loudly, and I watched in amusement as he threw his head back, cursing. I nibbled, sucked and licked at his skin, breathing in his smell, my body on fire.

"Come here, baby," he whispered, sitting up on the desk and pulling me on top of him, my legs straddling his waist.

My heart pounded in nervous excitement as he stared deeply into my eyes. He brushed my long hair to the side and began running his warm tongue along the side of my neck, licking and nipping at my tender flesh. I felt his hard length pressing against me and a strangled moan left my body. His hands, which were lingering at my waist, now ran up towards my heaving chest. He released the skin of my throat to watch his hands travel up the length of my body.

"So beautiful," he whispered, his hands now cupping my breasts.

He watched my face as he gently squeezed each breast, and used those delicious fingers to twist, pinch and pull at my nipples. I cried out, never having felt this good before, instinctively grinding myself against the hardness in Edward's jeans.

"Edward!" a whiny, nasal voiced yelled from behind the door, followed by a frantic pounding. I yelped in surprise, almost falling off the desk. Edward grabbed my arm, preventing me from hitting the floor, as he too slid off the desk. He began frantically yanking at his shirt to cover the rather large bulge in the front of his pants. He was cursing and muttering, running his fingers through his hair as his eyes nervously drifted between me and the door.

"Babyyyy," the annoying female voice called. "Open, the door baby! It's me, Tanya! Your girlfriend!"

_Girlfriend?!_

**A/N****: OHHHHH COCKBLOCKED! EDWARD HAS A GIRLFRIEND? THAT BASTARD! HOPEFULLY SHE'S JUST SOME DELUSIONAL EDWARD CULLEN GROUPIE...WHAT DO YOU THINK? LEAVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!**


	7. Chapter 7: Smoking Gun

**A/N****: HA! I LOVED READING YOUR GUESSES ABOUT TANYA! THE LAST CHAPTER WAS, INDEED, DEDICATED TO YOU, ****FRAYEDBRISTLES****, FOR YOUR GREAT REVIEW. I'M THINKING I MAY DEDICATE A CHAPTER OCCASIONALLY TO A DIFFERENT REVIEWER WHO IS ALSO FOLLOWING MY STORY, JUST BECAUSE YOU GUYS ROCK WITH YOUR REVIEWS! THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO ****HOLIDAI****! HOPE YOU LIKE IT!**

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS ALL THINGS TWILIGHT. MY REVIEWERS OWN ME! NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.**

_Early one morning_  
_With time to kill_  
_I borrowed Jebb's rifle_  
_And sat on a hill_  
_I saw a lone rider_  
_Crossing the plain_  
_I drew a bead on him_  
_To practice my aim_

_My brother's rifle _  
_Went off in my hand_  
_A shot rang out_  
_Across the land_  
_The horse, he kept running_  
_The rider was dead_  
_I hung my head_  
_I hung my head_

_I Hung My Head as performed_

_by Johnny Cash and written by Sting_

_Previously, in Chapter Six..._

_"Edward!" a whiny, nasal voiced yelled from behind the door, followed by a frantic pounding. I yelped in surprise, almost falling off the desk. Edward grabbed my arm, preventing me from hitting the floor, as he too slid off the desk. He began frantically yanking at his shirt to cover the rather large bulge in the front of his pants. He was cursing and muttering, running his fingers through his hair as his eyes drifted between me and the door._

_"Babyyyy," the annoying female voice called. "Open, the door baby! It's me, Tanya! Your girlfriend!"_

_Girlfriend?!_

**CHAPTER SEVEN: SMOKING GUN**

"_Girlfriend?!_" I hissed, glaring at him. "You have a _girlfriend_?"

Edward yanked at his messy hair, the pounding and whining at the door increasing in frequency. "Shit, Bella! It's not what you think..."

"You know what, Edward? Save your pathetic explanations for someone who gives a damn," I muttered, twisting the lock of the door.

"I swear, Bella! She's _fucking crazy_! I broke things off with her _weeks_ ago...right after that first night...the first night I saw you," he whispered in a broken voice, walking up behind me. He gently ran his hands up my arms, his breath on my neck. "Please believe me..."

"Why? Why should I believe you?" I asked him softly, turning my head slightly towards his warm, sweet breath.

"Because...I can't lie to you either, Bella. I've been honest, with everything. I was honest with the reason I chased you, I was honest with my delusional thoughts of why you ran that night...which you've never explained to me, and I've never pressed because I feel like you will tell me when you're ready."

A dry, humorless chuckle escaped my lips as I began twisting the knob. "I ran that night because of a narcissistic psycho...and I think one narcissistic psycho is all I can deal with at the moment. I sure don't need two in my life. Maybe this is for the best," I whispered. "This...thing...between us...it's not normal. We don't even know each other." He grabbed my shoulders firmly, but I shrugged him away, twisting the knob of the door and pulling it open.

A woman stood before me, hand midair as though she were about to knock again. She was the total opposite of me; where I was petite with soft curves, this woman was tall with lean muscles as though she worked out often. Her eyes were a frosty blue, and reminded me of a frozen pond. She had a cute ski-jump nose and pouty, full lips, coated in deep red lipstick. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white and hung in bouncy, shiny curls. The white dress she wore clung to her body, exposing half of her ample cleavage. A ridiculous white fur stole, too hot for the current weather, rested across her delicate shoulders and in one hand she held a glass of brandy.

Her eyes narrowed first on me, and then at Edward who continued to stand behind me. "Who is _this_, Eddie? Is _she_ the reason you tried to break up with me?" she whined, the sound not very becoming of the beautiful women before me. I tried to slip past her, but she grasped my arm, her long, red talons digging into my flesh. I winced and yanked my arm away, glaring at her and rubbing my sore arm.

"Tanya, how many times do I have to tell you that it is_ over _between us!" Edward seethed, his face almost purple, the blood surging through his body so fiercely that I could see the artery in his neck pulsing with blood.

"Oh, Eddie! You can't mean that!" she smirked, tossing her curls over one shoulder. "We're perfect together! Besides," she added, her cold eyes meeting mine, "she's not even that pretty."

Rushing into the hallway, I ran through the bar, terrified to burst into tears in front of my co-workers and customers. Waylon was still at the bar, grinning and chatting with Tia. Carmen was mixing up a cocktail and called out to me as I passed by, but I ignored her, passing Edward's confused bodyguard. I rushed through the doors and trotted down the busy street.

Away from the prying, concerned eyes of my friends and co-workers, I let the tears fall, unconcerned with the groups of laughing, drunk pedestrians that occasionally bumped into me. They were lost in their own thoughts, their own lives, and they seemed happy, without a care in the world except having a good time. I wish I could be like that...Lord, why can't that be me? Why can't I have a boring, normal life instead of one full of childhood demons and a physical attraction to danger? Why couldn't I be attracted to a sweet, caring, gentile man instead of an angry, dangerous one?

Passing WP's, I shoved my hands deep into my pockets, drawing into myself, into my thoughts, my brain turning nonstop. Maybe I should take Jacob's advice and work for him. It would surely make things easier, to work with a man with whom I had no physical attraction to, however, I knew the feeling wasn't mutual. No, I couldn't work for Jacob...I wouldn't be in a better place than I was now.

Consumed within my own thoughts, I paid very little attention to the street I turned on and soon realized that I had taken the wrong turn. Cutting across the street, I tried to get my bearings on where I was. I was still in the downtown area, noticing a nice hotel nearby. Standing very still, I listened for the sound of the Mississippi river nearby, but heard nothing but sirens and horns.

Scowling, I pulled my phone from the back pocket of my blue jean skirt, pulling up the map app and glancing around for an address. Finding the street name and number of the building beside me, I quickly entered the information into the app and, after a moment, the correct directions popped up, making me sigh in relief.

Staring down at the phone, I walked the street, oblivious to anything around me, when a hand, cold as death, covered my mouth and the cold blade of a knife pressed against my throat. I began kicking and screaming muffled screams, as the man dragged me into a nearby alley, where four other men stood, quietly chuckling. "If you don't stop screaming, I _will_ cut your throat," my attacker whispered, his breath retched and hot against my ear. Struggling against my attacker, I caught a glimpse of a dark car sitting idle in the alley, panic budding in my chest.

"_Never let them take you to a second location. If you are ever taken to a second location, you will not live_," Jasper's firm voice whispered in my mind.

My body went slack. The attacker's hand slipped from my mouth, and I was silent for a moment, letting him drag me closer to the car. The four other men grinned, their shiny bald heads glowing under the dim moonlight. They were all in dressed in black, dark tattoos peeking out through what little skin shown.

"What a cute little thing," the man whispered, pressing the blade tighter against my neck. "We're gonna have some real fun tonight boys," he chuckled slightly louder, causing the other men to laugh.

Then two more black silhouettes passed through the glow of the streetlights near the opening of the alleyway from the street, one tall and muscular, the other slightly shorter and leaner. They both crept forward slowly through the alley towards us moving like tigers. _Please, God, no! Not more of them! _

"_Distract your attacker...do what you must to delay his reaction time_,"Jasper's voice encouraged.

"Please don't kill me! I have family and friends," I babbled in frantic, panicky voice.

As the man processed my words, I grabbed, with my left hand, his right hand which held the knife. Rolling his arm down, I pinned it to my chest. Raising my right arm, which simultaneously raised his, I slid quickly under his grasp, twirling around behind him, bringing his knife hand with me, the knife now pressed against his own back. A gun was tucked in the waistband of his pants which became exposed as I'd come up behind him. I heard the unmistakable clicks of guns being cocked, as my offender pleaded with the four men not to shoot me, now terrified for his own life. The other two men were now closely approaching, their faces hidden within the shadows of their black hoodies. A cold realization washed over me, knowing that I wasn't going to live, but I sure wouldn't go down without a fight.

"I don't think you know who you're messing with," I whispered in the man's ear, one hand on his knife and the other arm squeezing his throat. The man wriggled and gasped for breath, his eyes practically bugging out of his head, but I didn't falter. I shoved the knife deeply into his left kidney. The man screamed out in pain as thick blood poured out around the wound.

As he staggered away, wrenching in pain, I whipped the .38 special from the waistband of his pants, spinning around and dashing towards the idle car. Shots rang out as I jumped on the hood of the car and across the top, bullets whisking by me. Spinning, landing chest down on the back of the car, I peeked over the top, the revolver held firmly in my hands as I cocked the gun.

"_Six rounds, make them count, six rounds, make them count_,"Jasper's voice looped over and over in my mind.

Too many attackers, too little rounds. My forehead beaded with sweat as I aimed down the sight of the gun, finding my first target.

_"Kill shot, Bella. Kill shot," _Jasper whispered.

_"No," _I told imaginary Jasper firmly.

Squeezing the trigger gently, the gunshot rang out through the night air, slamming my first target in his right leg, just where I'd aimed, blowing off his kneecap. The man screamed and collapsed on the ground, grasping at his injured leg. Bile rose in my throat and I prayed not to vomit.

_"Leave no evidence...even vomit can be traced. Pretend you're shooting a bird or a deer. These people, they are soulless, just like the animals you hunt," _imaginary Jasper advised.

Cocking and aiming the gun again, I noticed a new kind of commotion in the alleyway, confusing me enough that I lowered the gun. At first glance, it looked as though the men were fighting among themselves...but then a feeling of relief like I'd never felt consumed me. The two men in the black hoodies were none other than Edward and his bodyguard.

The bodyguard had one man in a headlock, momentarily, before expertly twisting and snapping his neck with a sickening sound. Edward held a gun in his hand, which he placed against another man's forehead before squeezing the trigger. The gunshot was practically silent and the shot clean. The man immediately collapsed to the ground as another attacker quickly grabbed Edward's gun, twisting it out of his hand. Panic flooded my body as I saw the man who attacked me, now somehow fighting the bodyguard, who was too preoccupied to notice that Edward's attacker now had his gun. The man brought it up, pointing it between Edward's eyes, a murderous smile on his face.

A loud crack thundered through the alley as Edward's attacker slumped to the ground. Edward stared up at me in shock as I stood up on the hood of the car, legs spread evenly apart, lowering my smoking gun. My eyes never left his as his bodyguard finished off the last attacker with a shot to the head.

"Bella," he whispered, his voice breaking. My legs became weak as I slumped down, landing on the car with a thump. Edward rushed to me, pulling me from the car, my body limp as a rag doll, as he held me tightly in his arms. Griping my chin, he shook my face a little as my vision grew hazy, my eyes staring up at the night sky blankly.

"Come back to me, baby," he whispered, his worried voice drawing me out of the fog. "We've got to get out of here." I nodded dumbly, trying to support my own wobbly legs.

Edward let me go long enough to remove the black hoodie, which he silently placed on my body, guiding my arms through the holes and zipping it up snugly. Pulling the hood over my head, he took the string near my chin and tied them together securely. His glorious scent wafted from the hoodie and washed over me.

"We are going to leave this alley, and you're not going to look up. Your eyes are not to leave the ground. Do you understand me?" he asked in a firm, authoritative voice. Staring at the ground I nodded mutely and watched, with slight horror, as he removed a hoodie from one of the dead men and slipped it over his own body, zipping it and covering his face.

"Liam, can you take care of this?" he asked the bodyguard quietly. "I got this boss," he replied, pulling a silver cell phone from his pocket, dialing a number, and spoke quietly for a moment before returning the phone to his pocket. He nodded at Edward. "Got some help on the way."

"Good. Search these guys...take anything they have on them and put it in the safe at my house," he instructed. The man nodded, grabbing the arms of the man I'd killed and dragging him down the alley. Edward pulled me to his side, wrapping one arm around me. As we walked away, I watched, over one shoulder, as Liam popped the trunk of the still idle car and hoisted the dead body into the trunk.

"Give me the gun, baby," Edward whispered before we left the alley.

I handed him the gun that I'd forgotten was in my hand, my body still numb and sick taking the life of a man. He slid the gun in one pocket of the hoodie and reminded me to keep my face down. I complied, dropping my gaze to the sidewalk as we entered the street and strolled along, his arm still slung around me, looking like lovers instead of murderers.

We walked in silence, somehow ending up on Front Street, the Mississippi river flowing alongside us. All was quiet except for the trickling sound of water, the river bathed in darkness. Crossing Front Street, our feet hit the grass, growing closer to the dark river. Edward casually removed the gun, cleaning it with the sleeves of his hoodie, after glancing around inconspicuously. He hurled it through the air. The sound of the gun slapping the water sounded far away and Edward pulled me with him as we walked along the bank.

He didn't speak...didn't ask me if I was okay. He didn't have to. I could feel his concern for me from the way he held my cold body close to his warm one and from the way his face would peer questioningly down at mine. My mind didn't have room for Edward though, for it was too busy replaying the scene in the alley...how I'd ended a man's life.

"I would have died," I whispered in a defeated voice, suddenly stopping, my feet sinking slightly in the moist grass. Edward looked at me, his eyebrows drawn together quizzically. "If you and Liam hadn't been there. I would have died."

Edward chuckled darkly, staring out at the darkness that engulfed the river. "You looked like you were handling yourself pretty well. Besides," he continued, his eyes holding an emotion that I couldn't understand. "If it weren't for you...that guy would have shot me in the head." He wrapped his arm back around me as we walked the rest of the way back to the apartment in silence.

Edward dumped the hoodie he was wearing in a dumpster about a block away from my apartment. He no longer had his arm around me, instead shoving his pants deep into his jeans. The gun and silencer he'd used now tucked into the waistband behind his back. He stared at the ground as we walked, lost in his own thoughts as I tried to forget the overwhelming guilt that consumed me. Edward followed me up the steps of my apartment complex, the building quiet except for the muffled cries of Eric from Angie's apartment. I paused, wondering if I should check in on them, but then heard Angie's soft, patient voice trying to calm him down. I unlocked my door and Edward pushed past me, making me frown as he removed the gun from his pants. He turned the lights on, moving around the apartment with the gun in his hands, scoping the place out like he was a police officer or something. Chuckling at the thought, I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind me.

'Detective' Cullen, returned from my bedroom, shoving the gun back in the waistband of his pants. I stood awkwardly, hugging my arms around me, feeling more than a little weird having Edward Cullen in my home. He gave me a small smile, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"So, yeah. This is my home," I said, shrugging, the apples of my cheeks turning red. He walked around the living room, glancing curiously at a shelf filled with framed photographs before picking one up and staring at it for a tremendous length of time. The smile was gone and replaced with a scowl as he shoved the framed photograph carelessly back on the shelf and moved to the corner of the room where my sewing machine sat. I walked over to the shelf where he once stood, looking at the photograph to see what could have caused the uncomfortable expression on his face.

It was a photograph taken several years back of me, Jasper and Emmett. I was in the middle and our arms intertwined as we laughed over something stupid Emmett said while my Aunt Charlotte snapped the photograph. We all looked happy and carefree. Looks are deceiving.

"This is my cousin, Jasper...and my brother, well, technically he's my _ex-stepbrother_, Emmett," I explained, causing him to turn around. I pointed at the photograph he previously held, and the scowl melted from his face. Hmmm...wonder what that was about?

"You sew?" he asked curiously, pointing at the machine Aunt Charlotte had given me on my sixteenth birthday. I nodded shyly, biting my bottom lip and he looked slightly impressed.

"My mother and sister both enjoy sewing," he mused, turning his body fully to face me, running one hand through his unruly strands. "I think you'd really like them...and I'm sure they'd like you," he added softly, almost shyly.

"What about your father?" I asked, sitting on my the edge of my old couch. "Do...do you think he'd like me?"

His face darkened considerably. "My father has certain expectations of me," he answered, not meeting my eyes. "He has his own opinion of the type of woman I should be with." He said nothing more, choosing instead to stroll around my apartment staring at every photo, every knickknacks with a critical eye. I shifted on the couch, processing what he told me about his father, and slightly uncomfortable by the judgmental way he gazed at my belongings. He sauntered into the kitchen area and grabbed the handle of my fridge, swinging it open. I watched as he rummaged around in there for a moment, his ass on perfect display. I couldn't even be mad at him for going through my food because of that stupid, succulent ass.

"Hey, can you cook?" he asked, his voice muffled by the fridge.

Frowning, I said, "Uh, yeah I'd like to think so...why?" He emerged from the fridge holding a package of chicken drumsticks, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Will you cook for me?" he asked, a shy smile on his face. He looked like a little boy asking Santa for his first bike at Christmastime. A lump formed in my throat, which I cleared away as I stood from the couch and crossed the room.

"Edward...it's four in the morning...and we just _killed _people...and you want me to cook a meal for you?" I asked incredulously, staring down at the package of chicken on the counter.

"Killing people always makes me hungry," he confessed casually, leaning against the counter, watching my expression carefully. Sighing heavily I waved him away, pulling my hair up in a messy bun on the top of my head and washing my hands at the sink. He walked happily to the kitchen table, sitting on a dinky yard sale chair looking like a male underwear model.

"So, what are you cooking for me tonight, dear?" he smirked, leaning back in the chair on two legs. I shot a glare at him, causing his smirk to widen. "Wouldn't you like to know," I muttered.

Now, there might be a lot of things I can't do in this world, but cooking a good southern meal isn't one of them. I was going to make Edward Cullen my personal favorite meal. He watched me curiously as I turned the oven on and gathered all my ingredients. I snapped at him to mind his own business and he shot me another sexy grin that made me weak in the knees.

"So...where are you from?" he asked casually, tinkering with the large silver wristwatch he wore, glancing up at me through his lashes as I cooked.

"What, are we going to get to know one another now?" I asked, rolling my eyes, cracking an egg and dumping it in a bowl full of my other ingredients. He didn't speak, so I sighed heavily, grabbed a spatula and said, "I'm from Masen, Mississippi."

"How old are you?" he asked curiously, watching as I slid a dish into the warm oven. I turned around, pulled a bag of peas from the freezer and replied, "Twenty-two...what about you?"

"Twenty-nine," he replied, his voice slightly thoughtful. I snorted, pouring the peas in a pot. "What?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. I poured water, seasonings, slices of onion and a piece of cooked bacon, grease included, of course, into the pot, and placed it on the back burner before turning back to him.

"You're just so old," I joked, cracking a small smile. He stuck his sexy lips into a pout, making me grin as I returned to the stove. I prepared the chicken and gently slid a few drumsticks into the hot grease I'd warmed up on the stove. The chicken sizzled and popped as it turned golden brown and I turned it to cook on the other side. The apartment slowly began to fill with the smell of fried chicken, cornbread and black-eyed peas. Edward watched me curiously from his perch at the table as I removed the chicken from the pan, dropping the pieces on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the grease. I caught him licking his lips a couple of times, causing that now familiar tingling he caused to erupt between my legs.

I was removing the cornbread from the oven with an old oven mitt when a timid knock sounded from the door. Edward was up in a flash, gun drawn and cocked, pointing at the door, shooting me a sidelong glance. I shrugged, not knowing why someone would be knocking on my apartment door at this hour. "Hello?" I called out nervously and heard a quiet response.

"Put your gun away, Edward. It's my neighbor, Angie," I told him, my shoulders slumping in relief. He went to put the gun in his pants but I held out my hand impatiently. Edward hesitantly handed me the gun, which I unloaded, shoving the bullets in my pocket and tossing the gun in kitchen drawer.

"She's got a kid," I explained, and he nodded in response, standing awkwardly beside the table. After checking the peephole, I opened the door to find an exhausted Angie, her pajamas rumpled and hair in a mess. Eric sat propped on one hip quietly whining.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so glad you're awake! I wouldn't have come over here but I thought I heard the TV and I'm so despera..." she stopped as her eyes first zeroed in on Edward and then widened in disbelief, her mouth falling open.

"Um, Angie, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my friend and neighbor, Angie," I said, introducing them to one another. Edward crossed the room, reaching out and grabbing Angie's free hand politely, his lips twisting into a panty-dropping smile. "It's nice to meet you, Angie. And who's this little guy?" he asked, nodding at Eric, staring at him with a weird look.

"Uhhhh..."she mumbled, mouth still hanging open. I couldn't help but chuckle quietly to myself. Edward was quite dazzling. "This is my son, Eric," she finally answered softly, a shy smile on her face. Edward nodded, giving her a stiff smile, but looked at Eric like he was a leper.

"Bella, I'm so sorry...I didn't know you had company," she murmured, looking at me over her glasses, her eyes darting back to Edward. "I worked a double shift yesterday and Eric decided he doesn't want to sleep...I think he slept too long when Ms. Cope kept him," she said, referring to our elderly neighbor who babysits Eric while Angie worked.

"Oh, I'll keep him for you while you rest," I replied, reaching for Eric who giggled and nearly jumped into my arms. "I'm not really tired anyway...I had a weird night."

"Uh, okay...if you're sure it's...okay to leave him here with _you two_," she said, stressing the words as she glanced at Edward. I assured her that Eric would be well taken care of and she nodded, knowing that I would never put Eric in harm's way.

"Can you help me grab the portable crib and diaper bag? My shift starts at seven, so I'll be back by six to pick him up. Is that alright?" she asked, glancing suspiciously at Edward, who continued to gaze at Eric like he was a tiny alien.

"It's fine," I assured her. She nodded, and I followed her back to her apartment, watching as she loaded a diaper bag.

"What's he doing at your place? Are you okay?" she whispered worriedly, glancing at her open door.

"It's fine, Angie...he just walked me home," I responded, not technically lying. "He's...I don't think he's as bad as we both thought he was." She nodded and handed me the diaper bag, which I slung over one shoulder, Eric still propped on one hip. She instructed me to wake her up if I need to. I rolled my eyes, following her as she pushed the portable crib across the hallway.

She kissed Eric sweetly on his chubby cheek before returning to her own apartment. As soon as the door closed, I turned back to the kitchen, propping Eric on my hip as I fixed Edward a plate of food with one hand. I turned around and caught Edward sitting back at the table, staring at me very strangely.

"What?" I asked, holding the wriggling baby with one arm and the plate of food with the other. Walking to the table, I placed the plate in front of him, turned and poured him a glass of sweet tea before joining him at the table. He continued to stare at me strangely.

"You know, it's hard to get to know someone when they won't tell you what's going on up here," I said, tapping the side of my head. He pursed his lips, then looked at me thoughtfully. He sat like that for a while before he said, "You don't want to know what goes on in my head. You'd be terrified." I didn't doubt that...to some extent. He picked up a drumstick and bit into it, licking the grease from his lips as he tore at the meat.

I couldn't watch him eat the rest...the way he licked his lips and fingers caused my body to burn, and he could tell by the satisfied smirk on his face. I took Eric to the couch where I bounced him on my knee a while and then we played pat-a-cake. He started whining eventually and I warmed up a bottle. He took the bottle greedily and I rocked him in Mamaw Swan's old rocking chair which sat in one corner of my apartment. I whispered and cooed at Eric, whose eyes began fluttering heavily until he eventually fell asleep. Placing his resting body on my shoulder, I patted his back until I heard a satisfying belch. Edward walked into the living room, sitting on the couch awkwardly, staring at me as I rocked the sleeping baby.

"You want to hold him?" I asked and nearly laughed at how horrified he looked as he violently shook his head. "Why not?" I asked.

"I might...break him," he said, causing me to snicker. I stood up, cradling Eric's slumbering frame in my arms, and walked over to where Edward sat. His eyes widened and he looked up at me in alarm.

"Hold your arms like this," I demanded. He shook his head, but I ignored him, bending down and handing him the sleeping child. He immediately held his arms in the correct position, seeing that I wasn't going to take no for an answer. I placed the baby tenderly in Edward's arms and sat beside him on the couch. Edward sat stiffly, unmoving, staring down at Eric's perfect face.

"He's so...soft," he whispered, studying his face. "And he smells, I don't know, clean or something."

"He smells like baby lotion," I confirmed, rubbing a finger tenderly across Eric's cheek.

His mouth started making a sucking motion, causing Edward to look up at me in panic. Giggling and rolling my eyes, I carefully took Eric from Edward's arms and took him to my bedroom, where Angie placed the crib. I gently laid him down on his back. He turned his head back and forth for a minute before going slack, taking quick, sleepy breaths. I fiddled with the blanket for a moment until I covered him perfectly, and turned to find Edward standing in the doorway of my bedroom staring at me again with that strange look.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you keep staring at me like that?" I asked, irritably as I waved him away and closed my bedroom door gently behind us, stomping to the kitchen table when he didn't respond.

I gathered Edward's plate and glass, and then put away the leftover food, feeling Edward's presence nearby. My body lit up in that familiar hum, that I chose to ignore. After washing the dishes and drying my hands, I turned, gasping as Edward was only standing inches from me. He leaned forward, backing me up against the counter, my breath turning ragged as I saw the territorial glare in his eyes.

"Do you_ really _want to know what I was thinking when I watched you tonight?" he hissed, placing his hands on the counter behind me, effectively caging me in. I swallowed hard, nodding my head, my heart thumping frantically in my chest. "When I see you...I have these crazy fucking thoughts. You _really_ don't want to know what I'm thinking," he muttered, leaning even closer to me, staring at my lips.

"What do you see when you look at _Tanya_?" I asked, my voice sounding childish and sullen. He scowled, glaring now into my eyes. "When I see Tanya, I see a gold-digging slut who follows me around like a lap dog. When I see Tanya, I see big tits and easy access," he hissed, bending down brushing his lips tenderly against my neck, leaving a fire in its wake.

"What do you see when you look at me?" I demanded, bravely pushing his face from my neck, cupping my hands on both cheeks, forcing him to look me in the eye. He stared at me for a deliriously long amount of time, before swallowing and taking a deep breath.

"When I saw you holding that baby, handing me a plate of food," he whispered, stroking my cheek. He paused, looking unsure of himself, his wicked face suddenly looking vulnerable. "And as fucked up as it is...I wondered what it would be like...if that was _my_ child you were holding, standing in _our_ kitchen, cooking me a delicious meal after long day at work. Does that make me crazy? To look at you and want that, when I _barely know you_? Do you know how _weak_ that makes me feel? I don't need this shit. I didn't plan on this shit. What have you _done_ to me?"

He pressed his forehead to mine, breathing heavily. My heart stopped. This man made my heart stop. My eyes filled with tears and I tried to push him away, but he held me firmly in place.

"Why do you keep pushing me away? _What the fuck_!" he hissed, before letting me go, scowling as he pushed himself from the counter. He grabbed his hair nervously, his eyes darting around the room frantically, avoiding my eyes as tears streamed down my face.

"I can't be that person, Edward," I whispered, choking on my own words. "I can't be that person for you. I'm...damaged goods. Besides, the two of us, we're like fire and gasoline."

"You don't want me," he said, his voice eerily calm, crossing his arms across his chest. His face was void of emotion as he stared blankly into my troubled eyes.

"Of course I want you," I whispered, my lip trembling. "I've never wanted something so _bad_."

He dropped his arms from his chest, the blank look turning into something darker, something more sinister. Edward took two steps, placing his hands on my face, wiping the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. "Then be with me," he whispered, making me sob harder. I nodded mutely and that's when Edward Cullen's lips met mine for the first time.

Edward pressed his lips to mine gently, nibbling on my bottom lip. My mouth opened automatically and he slid his warm tongue inside, teasing my tongue with his own. Moaning, I grabbed the back of his head with my hands pressing his mouth harder to mine. The kiss became frantic as our tongues fought for domination. Edward broke the kiss with one last flick of his tongue, staring into my wide eyes seductively.

He grabbed the zipper of his hoodie that I still wore, pulling it down slowly until it was fully open. He slid it from my shoulders and it pooled around my feet in a dark puddle. Edward stared, tugging at the hem of my shirt, his eyes looking into mine for permission. I bit my bottom lip and nodded shyly, watching as his eyes darkened, staring at my mouth. He pulled my green top up, his arms sliding along the sides of my body as I raised my arms. He threw it carelessly in the floor, staring down at the light pink lace bra that I wore. It was held together in the front with a metal clasp which he tugged at, again looking at me for permission.

I nodded again, and he took a deep breath, swallowing hard. He expertly unclasped the bra and it fell away, my breasts spilling forward. I felt a blush creep up my body as Edward's hungry eyes roamed my chest. "Perfect," he whispered, placing his hands over both breasts and gently squeezing. "You like it when I pinch your nipples, don't you, my dirty girl?" he whispered, pinching and tweaking my hard, pink nipples. I moaned in response, my body thrilled with his dirty talk and the feeling of my nipples rolling between his fingers.

Suddenly, he let go of my breasts, grabbing my bottom and hoisting me up on the counter as I let out a squeak of surprise. He pressed himself between my legs, putting his hands back on my breasts, his fingers plucking away at my nipples again. "Would you like me to suck those pretty pink nipples in my mouth," he whispered, pinching harder, causing me to moan and throw my head back. "Yes," I groaned, the throbbing and tingling between my legs almost unbearable.

"Tell, me, Bella," he demanded, lightly flicking my nipples with the pads of his thumbs. "Tell me you want me to suck on those pretty pink nipples."

"I..I want you to suck on my nipples, Edward," I begged, my face red, embarrassed of the words leaving my mouth. "Please, suck my nipples Edward!"

He smirked up and me, leaned over, staring into my eyes, and sucked my left nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it briefly, before nipping it with his teeth. He continued to roll my other nipple between his fingers, and I cried out, my body consumed with desire. I felt dampness gathering between my legs, as he placed his hands on my thighs, pushing my skirt further up my legs.

"Do you want me to suck your clit like I sucked on your nipple?" he asked, his eyes black with want as his fingers brushed against the fabric of my panties, his thumb hitting me where I needed him the most. I was in uncharted territory, but there was no way I could deny this man what I wanted, what I needed him to give me. I nodded slowly and he raised an eyebrow, looking at me expectantly.

"Yes...please!" I shyly begged, my voice trembling.

He grinned and I raised my bottom off the counter, allowing him to push my skirt all the way up, exposing my shamefully plain pale pink panties. Edward didn't seem to mind as he stared at them hungrily. He grabbed my ass, scooting me to the edge of the counter, spreading my legs wider.

"You're panties are so wet," he whispered, reaching out and lightly brushing his thumb over the front of my panties...right over my swollen nub.

"Aghhhh," I moaned, squirming around, as he pressed his thumb more firmly against it. He chuckled darkly, massaging me with his thumb, moving his thumb in slow, torturous circles. Reaching up with his free hand, he tweaked my right nipple and I swore I was about to explode.

"I'm going to take your panties off, Bella. And I'm going to suck that pussy like a _drowning man_. Is that what you want, baby?" I could only moan in response, as I felt his fingers pulling at the fabric between my legs.

And that's when an ear-splitting scream filled the room...a scream that wasn't mine nor Edward's.

**A/N****: THESE TWO CAN'T NEVER GET A BREAK! WHO'S SCREAMING? HAS EDWARD REDEEMED HIMSELF? DID BELLA LET HIM OFF THE HOOK TOO EASY? DO YOU THINK THE ATTACK IN THE ALLEY WAS RANDOM...OR SOMETHING MORE? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! **


	8. Chapter 8: Oh, Brother!

**A/N****: BEEN A FEW DAYS! HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. IT'S A LITTLE ANGSTY, AND THEN A LITTLE RIDICULOUS. HOPE YOU LIKE IT.**

**FYI****: NO DISRESPECT TO THE LITTLE PEOPLE. I LOVE LITTLE PEOPLE. LITTLE PEOPLE ROCK.**

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS TWILIGHT, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.**

_Previously, in Chapter Seven..._

_"Aghhhh," I moaned, withering around, as he pressed his thumb more firmly against my clit. He chuckled darkly, massaging my clit with his thumb, moving his thumb in slow, torturous circles. Reaching up with his free hand, he tweaked my right nipple and I swore I was about to explode. "I'm going to take your panties off, Bella. And I'm going to suck that pussy like a fucking drowning man. Is that what you want, baby?" I could only moan in response, as I felt his fingers pulling at the fabric between my legs._

_And that's when an ear-splitting scream filled the room...a scream that wasn't mine nor Edward's._

**CHAPTER EIGHT: OH, BROTHER!**

Edward jumped at the sound of the sudden wailing that filled the room, pulling my legs with him as I let out a surprised squeak. He held me steady at the last-minute, preventing the both of us from nearly toppling to the floor. Edward cringed as I collected my raging hormones, following as we started towards my bedroom, adjusting himself in his pants.

"Damn, I forgot he was here," he swore, an angry scowl crossing his face. "Cockblocking kid!"

"Edward!" I scolded, elbowing him in the ribs as I shuffled by him and into my bedroom, his words echoing in my mind. _Cockblocking? Would I have let him get that far? _Eric was laying on his back, face red, screaming his lungs out. Whispering soft, comforting words, I picked him up, holding him against me, rubbing his back. Edward cautiously entered the room, staring at Eric suspiciously.

"What's wrong with hi...Oh, my God!" he yelled, just about the same time a strong, foul odor hit my nose. We both wrinkled our noses in disgust, Edward frantically fanning the air around his nose with one hand.

"What the hell is that smell?" he gasped, backing up and bumping into my bookshelf in his feeble attempt to escape the offensive odor, knocking a few loose paperbacks to the floor.

"It's called a dirty diaper, you moron, and watch your language around the baby," I snapped, laying a screaming Eric back down in the crib and grabbing a diaper, wet wipes, and baby powder from his bag. "If I'm not mistaken, you were the one spouting off about having babies and whatnot earlier. If you can't take the smell of baby poo, maybe you need to re-evaluate your plans for a future family."

I never looked up at his face to see if I offended or angered him. Knowing Edward, it was probably the latter. It wasn't that I was angry over his cursing in front of the baby. The things that I let him do to me on my crappy kitchen counter embarrassed me, and I was taking it out on Edward. I let this frustrating man touch me in the most intimate of places, places where I'd never allowed anyone to touch me before, and I barely knew him! My face was flaming hot with shame, although Edward, probably assumed anger is what caused the crimson color.

Removing Eric's blue outfit and stinky diaper, I cleaned him thoroughly with the wet wipes before sprinkling a little powder on the new diaper and sliding it under his bottom. Edward's words in the kitchen continued to haunted me...and I wondered if the things he told me were only said in the heat of the moment...in the throws of passion. The girls I went to high school with would whisper of their sexual conquests, of just meeting a guy and letting him do the most intimate of things with them. They were silly girls, in my opinion, to allow someone they just met to touch them, have sex with them. These girls were somehow convinced that they were in love with the guys, only to later realize that those teenage boys would let you believe they loved you back if it meant getting you in the sack quicker. I would always roll my eyes when they would giggle about the sweet things the boys said to them, when it was just the two of them, of course. Then the girls would tell how they told the boy that they loved them, getting some vague response in return. These girls were always dumped a few days, if that long, later, heartbroken over a boy they barely knew.

But did grown men do that? Did they whisper sweet words to persuade a woman to have sex with them? Of course they did! I worked in a bar, for Christ's sake! I heard these men conversing to one another, bragging about a silly woman who just needed a little convincing to give them what they wanted. After that, they would move on to the next girl. It was sickening really, and was I really that different from any other woman? I knew I could be shy and vulnerable at times, when strong Bella wasn't around. Edward wasn't the first man to hit on me...to try to whisper sweet words in my ear. He was just the first to actually have any affect on me, infiltrating my mind, my body, my soul.

Lost in my own thoughts, I cinched Eric's diaper and replaced his sweet little outfit. Picking him up, I held him against my chest, rubbing my face against his head, him unknowingly giving me comfort from my troubled thoughts. When I turned around, I found Edward bent at the waist, picking up the scattered books that had fallen from the shelf. The sound of knocking at the apartment door alerted me of the time, and I realized that the last couple of hours had passed by rather quickly, for Angie was now here to collect Eric.

Grabbing Eric's bag, I abandoned Edward with his task of collecting the fallen books to greet Angie at the door. Glancing through the peephole and unlocking the door, I found a slightly improved Angie, looking considerably less disheveled, but still a little worse for wear. Sleepiness consumed her face, but less so than at four am. I met her in the hallway, pulling my door shut behind me.

"How was he?" she asked, scooping a grinning and babbling Eric into her arms and planting a huge kiss on his face. He kicked and jumped in excitement, causing Angie and I to giggle at his exuberance.

"He was fine," I assured her. "Freshly changed after horrifying Edward with a smelly diaper," I giggled, causing her to burst into laughter.

"And...how was _he_?" she asked, referring to Edward, as she wiggled her eyebrows up and down suggestively. I slapped her on the arm, blushing in mortification.

"Gah, Angie!" I replied, my cheeks burning. "We really need to talk when you get home from work...I really need your opinion on some things. She nodded, confirming that after work she would be there to talk. After kissing Eric goodbye, I quietly slipped back into my apartment.

Edward was not in the kitchen or living room, so I presumed that he was still in my bedroom. Entering the bedroom, I was not prepared for what I saw, for Edward was sitting on my Mamaw Swan's wingback chair, holding a very familiar book, the cover a soft blue, illustrated with the petals of a disrupted flower. My heart pounded in my chest, the memory of waking that futile night clouding my vision. The memory of Edward sitting in that same chair, holding that same book, not dressed as casually but certainly looking just as sexy, his pine-green eyes roaming the dog-eared page curiously. I opened my mouth so speak, although unsure of what I planned on saying, but was quickly interrupted by Edward's silky voice.

_"It's all I have to bring to-day,_  
_This, and my heart beside,_  
_This, and my heart, and all the fields,_  
_And all the meadows wide._  
_Be sure you count, should I forget, –_  
_Someone the sum could tell, –_  
_This, and my heart, and all the bees_  
_Which in the clover dwell."_

"Are you a romantic, Ms. Swan?" he asked, bringing the book down and staring at me intently. "Your shelf is full of classic romance novels and love poems. Do you fall in love easily?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and carefully sat on the edge of the bed in front of him.

"I've always been in love with the idea of love," I admitted, my heart finally starting to slow from a canter to a trot. "But as far as being in love...that's something I've never felt before."

He continued to gaze at me for several seconds, making me nervously fidget on the edge of the bed before he opened his mouth again. "Do you work tonight?"

His rapid change of subject caused me to knot my eyebrows in surprise. "Um, no it's my day off."

He closed the Dickinson book, tossing it on the bed beside me. His hand found his forehead, which he scrubbed at slowly. "Why don't you get cleaned up...it's been a long night...and maybe take a nap? I can see that you're exhausted."

The idea of a shower and a nap was tempting, but deep down the thought of him leaving terrified me. He was a pleasant distraction from the events of the night before, and I knew that when he left the apartment I would break down from the guilt and horrific events that occurred. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stood hesitantly, grabbing a t-shirt and some comfy sweats from my closet. Looking over my shoulder and meeting his smoldering gaze, I grabbed a pair of panties and a bra from the dresser, shoving them in between the shirt and sweats with my back turned towards him.

Hesitantly, I turned to him, dropping my head shyly. "So...I guess I can walk you to the door...I'm sure you're tired too."

When he didn't respond for several seconds, I looked up at him through my lashes to find him glaring at me. "You think I'm going to leave you here alone after what you went through last night?" he seethed, standing up and stalking towards me. I cowered back from his angry, panther-like gait, hitting the wall behind me and effectively dropping my clothes.

"You think I'm going to leave you here alone so you can break down and cry, like I know you're going to do? As soon as I walk out that door you're going to start feeling sorry for those stupid fuckers that tried to do God knows what to you." He stopped in front of me, reaching out with his hand and lifting my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his.

"You can't stay with me forever, Edward. You know eventually you have to leave this apartment," I whispered, lip trembling.

He chuckled darkly, then reached down and grabbed my clothes, shoving them into my arms and pushing me out of the room. "Take a shower, I'll still be here when you're through," he replied, choosing not to respond to my comment.

Being the dutiful little girl that I was, I marched into the bathroom, locking the door behind me and striping down naked. Turning the shower on as warm as comfortably possible, I emerged myself in the hot liquid, scrubbing my skin until it was pink and raw, trying to wash away the memories of the horrendous night. When I finished, I toweled off, threw on my clothes, twisted my long, wet hair into a sloppy bun and slowly made may way back into the bedroom.

Edward was laying across my bed, his shirt riding up slightly exposing the edge of his lickable tattoo below his waist. A thin dusting of delicious, slightly red hair trailed from below his belly button, disappearing under the waistband of his jeans. His feet crossed one another casually and his head rested on this arms that he had tucked behind his head. The expression he wore was one of contemplation, and I carefully joined him on the bed, swallowing the lump in my throat as I lay on my right side staring at him. Edward really was a beautiful creature, and I memorized his strong jaw line, the slight cleft in his chin, his high cheekbones, for the air was thick with tension and some small part of me knew that the conversation we were about to have would be one of great importance...one that would define whatever future there was for us.

It was I that broke the silence first, asking in a weak, pleading voice, "Tell me about you. Tell me everything about you." He laid stoney face for several moments, staring at the ceiling, before a physical release left his expression. He blew out a frustrated sigh and, without ever glancing my way, began to tell me the life of Edward Cullen.

Edward began, not with his own life, but with the history of his family, speaking of his Irish ancestors, immigrants to this country who settled down in Memphis in the Pinch district. The Pinch district was an area of Memphis during that time where the Irish and German settled, and was originally named 'Pinch-Gut'. The people of that district, being so starved, that their guts pinched in by their own belts. Edward's ancestors were great entrepeneurs, starting out in America working in construction building churches and businesses, earning enough money through their labor to start their own businesses. He explained that the Cullens of the 1800's made a vow, that no matter what the circumstances, no matter the consequences, the family would never be poor, or allow their children to starve again.

And that's where the lines became blurred, as the family began their illustrious, illegal activities, of which Edward refused to speak of in any detail.

He spoke of growing up in a life full of privilege. There were always high demands of him from his father...he was expected to be the best at everything from academics to sports. Things came easily to him, he explained. When money was involved, it is almost impossible not to have the world at your fingertips. He was born with natural grace, elegance and social skills that only those who are born wealthy have without trying. Edward told me of the close bond that he shared with his sister, Alice. He and his sister never had very many close friends, for people used them for their own selfish purposes, causing them to solely rely on one another for friendship. Edward said that he could easily tell when a person truly liked him for himself or for their own notoriety.

He told me how his parents met in college where his father, Carlisle Cullen, studied business and finance. He met Edward's mother, Esme, at a coffee shop on campus. Carlisle was already well-known, even back then, famously riding on the coat-tails of his own father, and Esme was a quiet, shy girl, working her way through college to become a social worker. Edward's face softened when he spoke of his mother, how sweet and humble she was, how she only worked at the coffee shop to escape the harsh demands of her own overbearing father. It was pure luck that Carlisle met his soul mate that day, and that she was everything his own father looked for in a future daughter in law; she came from a wealthy family, studied to become a public servant, she was sweet, pretty, quiet, compliant, Irish, Catholic and came from a wealthy family.

Edward told me, after graduating college he worked alongside his father for a while, until finally going out on his own, buying properties that needed revamping and turning them into successful businesses. His sister had a flair for decorating and remodeling, having earned a degree in interior design herself. Edward would buy the business and in turn Alice would completely transform it into something successful.

Edward finally turned on his side, staring at me, confessing in a soft whisper, how it was his responsibility, as a Cullen, to follow the footsteps of his family, of his ancestors. His face, void of emotion, as he confessed the difficulties of finding that one girl...a girl that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with...a good Catholic, Irish girl from a wealthy family, one whom would bare his children. His face hardened as he spoke of Tanya the perfect Irish Catholic daughter of a wealthy banker. He told how she offered him a life of convenience, to marry her to pacify their parents, but allow them to lead their own separate lives out of their family's and the public's eyes. Carlisle constantly pressured Edward to marry her, for he was soon approaching thirty and Esme was ready for Edward to give her grandchildren. He opened his mouth to continue his spill, but it was enough. It was too much.

"What are we doing, Edward? This...thing, between us...I just don't see how it's going to work," I whispered, tears sliding down my face. He grew angry, hissing and scolding me as he wiped the tears away "Don't say that! Don't you _ever_ fucking say that!"

"Oh, come on, Edward!" I snapped, pushing his hands away to wipe away my own tears. "You know it's true! I can see it in your eyes! I'm not Catholic. The only time I went to church growing up is when my grandparents would bring me to the non-denominational Christian church they were members of. And I'll never be Catholic! It's not a belief I share with you. I'm not the child of wealthy parents! I've never been to college...there's not a drop of Irish blood anywhere in me! Tell me how you think this is going to work. Are you going to leave the family business? Destroy your relationship with your parents over some nobody girl? I don't think so. I can see it in your eyes...you know this thing between us can not play out!"

"But I've never felt this way before! I'm not going to let you go, no matter what you say," he spat, pushing my hands away and grasping my face. "We have to be together...there's got to be some way."

"What, you like Tanya's idea? Marry another woman and keep me on the side? Is that your idea of a life?" I snapped, growing angrier by the second. He pursed his lips, as though actually contemplating the idea.

"It's not that absurd," he mused, staring into my devastated eyes thoughtfully. "I could do what my family requires, marry someone they see fit, and you and I could still be together...I can give you children, our children. I will take care of you for the rest of our lives and we can be together, Bella. Is it complicated? Hell, yeah it's complicated. But I'll do anything to make this work, because I've never felt this way about anyone else, my whole life."

"Get out of my home," I whispered, my heart-broken, feeling as though he'd physically slapped me with his words. "That may be enough for you, but it sure as hell isn't enough for me! My whole life all I dreamed about was finding someone to love me unconditionally, and you have overwhelming conditions, Edward. I will never be 'the other woman'. The man I spend the rest of my life with, if he's out there, would never keep me his dirty little secret."

"Don't you ever bring up another man, do you understand?" he growled, grasping my face harder and bringing it to his. "There won't ever be another man in your life...I swear to all that is holy, if I find you with another man, I will kill him. Do you understand me? Do you fucking understand me?" He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me reverently, which I returned, at first, until the cold realization of our situation crept back into my mind. Pushing him away, I sat up gasping, crying and sobbing as I demanded him to leave.

He stood up from the bed, cursing and clenching his hands into tight fists. Grabbing his hoodie, he fled he room, as I sat crying on the edge of the bed, the tears falling from my face rapidly. Moments later, I heard the sound of him removing his gun from the drawer I'd deposited it in before slamming the apartment door behind him, the sound so loud it caused me to jump in fear. Crawling back on the bed, I curled into a ball, wrapping my arms around my knees and cried myself to sleep. My dreams were full of nightmares from the alley, but instead of the men dying it was Edward who lay shot dead, helpless on the dirty ground, unseeing eyes staring up at the stars.

The days following Edward's departure were strange, to say the least. I had slept, tossing and turning from the nightmares, for hours after he left that night, waking the next morning to find a note that slipped under my door. My heart thumped erratically in my chest, my mind consumed with thoughts that the note was from him. As my shaky hands opened the note, glorious visions of Edward professing his undying love infiltrated my body, praying that he rebuked his family, his lifestyle, all in hopes of being with me. But my heart sank as I read the note from Angie, explaining that she had stopped by to have our ill-fated chat and I had not answered, apparently either not home or asleep. I sat at my kitchen table, where Edward had previously sat the night before, crying into a bowl of cereal.

I watched the news pensively, expecting reports of dead bodies being found to flash across the television screen, but it never happened, and I was sure that Edward took any means necessary to cover what happened that fateful night in the alley. I had not heard, not only from Edward, but from Jasper either and I wondered if his new job took every solitary second of his time. I avoided Angie at all costs, worried that she would bring up _his_ name...but I missed her. I was lonely, even more so than usual, and it took Edward leaving me to realize it.

My walk to work was less than desirable, the Tennessee heat now basically gone and my mind filled with visions of pine-green eyes, pouty pink lips and the guilty conscience of someone who had murdered a man. The temperature had decreased dramatically, allowing me to abandon the stupid blue jean skirt Patrick required us to wear to work, for blue jeans and hoodies, the only bright spot in my life now, being my personal favorite wardrobe. Work was basically the same as usual, except for the fact that Edward didn't return and the bar was surprisingly well-stocked. Patrick was still there, working as the General Manager. He let it slip that Mr. Cullen allowed him to stay, for the time being, until he hired a new General Manager.

It was nearing Halloween when things took an interesting turn, when I walked into work one night to find Tia and Carmen staring oddly at a tiny, wild woman who flung herself about the room frantically, grabbing pictures from the walls, tossing them into a large, cardboard box. When she turned slightly, I caught a glimpse of her profile and knew immediately who she was. Alice Cullen.

She was tinier than I remembered; barely five feet tall, with heels. She wore a tight, scoop neck black top and brightly colored tattoos peeked over the edges from her chest. Dark wash fitted jeans covered her small legs and her hair was somewhat longer, now twisted in tight, stylish pin curls. If not for her perfectly applied make-up, she could probably disguise herself as a young child, as thin and short as she was. Apprehension filled my body, being around her, after the night in the grocery store and the recent events surrounding Edward, and I wondered if he'd told her anything about me...

"That bitch is geeked out," Tia whispered conspiratorial, nodding her head towards Alice who continued to prance around the room, chucking decorations into the box.

"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously, grabbing a glass and filling it with bourbon as I passed it to a customer.

"She hasn't quit moving since she got here...that's Mr. Cullen's sister, Alice," she responded, unbeknownst that I was already slightly acquainted with Alice.

Tia and Carmen had forgone mentioning Edward to me, except for a couple of days after I returned to work. They were there the night I fled from the bar, from his office, in tears, and only asked once what happened in that room. I chose not to respond and was happily surprised that they didn't tease me about it, possibly seeing on my face the apprehension I had on the topic.

"She's not smoking crack or anything. Her teeth are so white!" Carmen said, bouncing around behind the bar, as if Alice's energy had drifted into her. "But she is definitely tweaking. Look at her go! She's like a tiny bundle of energy! Probably on some pills," she whispered, knowingly.

"You would know," Tia scoffed in response, drying a glass and rolling her eyes.

"They're for my toothaches!" Carmen snapped, rubbing her cheek and scowling.

"Mmmmhmmmm...allegidly," Tia grinned, using her favorite word.

I didn't respond, as I continued to work behind the bar taking care of my customers. At one point during the night, Alice spotted me, my gaze as it locked in on hers and we both stood frozen, staring at one another. A small smile crossed her face, which she quickly hid, turning around and grabbing the large box as she struggled across the room with it. She disappeared in the stairway that led upstairs to the second floor, which we used for storage purposes. I didn't see her return, until I took a bathroom break. After washing and drying my hands, I pushed through the bathroom door, to find Ms. Alice Cullen leaning casually against the wall in the hallway, her arms crossed and a brilliant smile on her face.

"I know you probably don't want to have anything to do with me, but I just can't help myself!" she squealed, throwing her tiny arms around my neck, ignoring my shocked expression. She smelled slightly of jasmine, and my heart dropped as it reminded me of _him_. Especially when my sad, brown eyes met her shiny green ones, the same color that she shared with _him_.

From that day forward, tiny Alice Cullen infiltrated all of our lives. She learned of Carmen's love of Halloween, and the two of them gushed over their plans to redecorate the bar in time for Halloween night, as Tia stood nearby scowling at their enthusiasm. In those few days, I learned a lot about Alice Cullen, including her obvious disdain for anything socially acceptable of her as Carlisle Cullen's daughter. The tattoos that peeked out from her chest also covered her arms, I noticed as I watched her shove her sleeves up while she worked. Brightly colored birds, flowers, fish and quotes flowed along her flesh, and I assumed it also graced her back as well.

The bar was to close for a whole week to begin construction and renovations. Alice announced that when we returned to work, the bar would no longer be an Irish pub, and I heard Tia chanting, below her breath, "Please don't be a blues club, please don't be a blues club" causing Alice to burst into a fit of giggles.

"When we re-open, we won't reopen as a blues club, nor an Irish pub," Alice announced, a silly grin on her face as she watched a relieved Tia. "I would like to formally announce that, when McMillan's reopens, it will officially be opened as a nightclub!"

We stood in stunned silence for a moment before Tia snapped, "Oh, my God! Are we gonna have to listen to techno or disco music all night?" She sounded throughly disgusted as she shuddered.

"No, no, nothing like that," Alice assured her with a smile. "We'll probably play current hit music, possibly some 90's nights or something. I'm thinking slightly upscale with a dress code, but nothing snobby. I swear there will be no disco, techno, or glow sticks involved...just dancing, drinking and generally a good time." Tia chewed on that for a while before nodding her head in agreement.

"For the next couple of days I'm going to shut the bar down. I have a man coming in to train the bartenders on how to carry out flair. For those of you who don't know, flair is bar tricks, such as throwing the bottles in the air and catching them behind your back. It's for entertaining the customers, and I think this will help promote more business in the club. You'll still receive your regular pay, as you would working the bar like you normally do, so please don't worry about that. Everyone needs to be here in the morning, at eleven o'clock. The day shift bartenders will be here as well, so we'll all be working together one this. After that, the bar will be closed until Halloween night, and we will reopen as a nightclub. Are there any questions?" she asked, her hands on her hips as she looked at us carefully. Everyone stared at her silently. "Okay, then. Get back to work," she chirped.

We all arrived the next day just as Alice instructed, and met with Riley, a tall slightly muscular man with deep brown eyes and shiny blonde hair. He held weighted plastic bottles, that he threw into the air, spinning them in different directions, catching them easily as we all stood staring at him his shock. He spent that day, and then next, training us on how to perform easy tricks with the bottles, so that we would be well prepared for the real thing once the club reopened. Riley not only trained the bartenders, but the waiters and waitresses as well.

For me, the tricks were not so easy. I repeatedly dropped the bottles, cringing every time they hit the floor, although they were not breakable. Riley eventually became very frustrated with the my clumsiness, calling Alice to the bar, much to my embarrassment. I could not believe that Jessica and Lauren could perform the tricks since they only ran on half a brain!

"Bella, do you have any experience with waitressing?" Alice asked, carefully after watching me drop the bottles many times. I could hear T and Carmen snickering, and I shot them an angry glare.

"Yes, but I'm not very good at it," I admitted, chewing on my bottom lip. Alice sighed, patting me on the shoulder. "You've got to be better at that than bartending. I'm afraid I'm going to have to move you to waiting tables, Bella. I'm sorry, but if we're going to use my plans for flair, I can't have one bartender that can't perform the tricks."

I couldn't be mad at Alice, although I despised waitressing, for she was only doing what was best for the future of McMillan's. Plus, she excitedly invited me along with her to go shopping for Halloween decorations for the grand re-opening of McMillan's. I hadn't been on a shopping excursion since first meeting Tia and Carmen.

She showed up at my apartment the next morning, as planned, grinning as I answered the door. Standing next to her were Carmen, Alice's curvy vixen friend from the night at the grocery store, who I vaguely remembered being named Rose, and a petite older women with caramel colored curls and amazing green eyes. My mouth went dry as I realized that this woman was Edward's mother, Esme Cullen.

"Mom, this is _Bella_," Alice told her, emphasizing my name as she grinned at me brightly. "Bella, this is my mother, Esme Cullen." The woman stepped forward and grasped my cold hand with her warm one, shaking it softly.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella," she told me kindly, staring into my eyes with sincerity. She looked past me curiously into my apartment before exclaiming, "Oh, I have an old sewing machine just like that! Alice and I love to sew!"

"That's what I've heard," I responded softly, avoiding her knowing eyes as I ushered them into the hallway and closed the door softly behind me.

Rose shot me a haughty glare, throwing her blonde hair over one shoulder and raising her head indignantly, stomping down the stairwell with Carmen and Alice following closely behind. I didn't understand the glare or the hostility she showed me the only two times I'd met her, but I shrugged it off as snobbishness.

Esme stopped me before I descended the stairs, clutching my arm and whispering sincerely, "Thank you for what you did, that night in the grocery store. There is no way I can ever thank you enough for the sacrifice you made."

"I'm sure if it wasn't me, then someone else would have done it," I answered humbly, embarrassed from the attentive stare from the small woman. "I just didn't want anyone getting hurt."

She continued to stare at me for a moment, but it wasn't an uncomfortable stare. She gazed at me in almost a loving way, rubbing my arm softly before murmuring, "So this is the woman who has stolen my son's heart."

I stood, stunned by her remark as she gave me a sad smile, passed me, and slowly walked down the stairs, with me lagging behind. This woman, somehow, knew about Edward and I...I just didn't know how she knew. Edward obviously either told her or Alice, or maybe the two of them. I chewed my lip thoughtfully, avoiding Esme's probing eyes as we slid into an expensive black sedan, Rose behind the wheel.

We spent the rest of the day shopping for Halloween decorations. Rose was standoffish, shooting me pensive glares occasionally when I would speak up, but for the most part the two of us were quiet, allowing Carmen, Esme and Alice to do most of the chatting as they racked up and endless amount of money on Alice's credit card. As twilight approached, Rose dropped Carmen off in front of her apartment, where we left her grinning and waving. She then dropped Esme off in front of a tall, grey building; Cullen Corporation. We all got out of the car, assisting Esme with her bags and I stared up at the massive building wondering, sullenly, if Edward might be somewhere inside, pacing and pulling at his hair, cursing the staff.

Esme surprised me before leaving with a kiss on the cheek, gazing into my stunned eyes and told me in a soft, yet firm voice, "Bella, you'll have to join us for dinner at our home sometime. Have a good week, sweetie. I'm sure I'll see you again sometime soon."

She disappeared into the tall, expensive building, greeting a handsome blonde man at the door. The man wore a trendy, expensive suit, his hair combed perfectly in place, and held a stony, cold expression on his face. He stared towards us as we stood by the car, his steel-blue eyes narrowing on me, before sending Alice a casual wave and wrapping one arm around Esme. My blood ran cold as I gazed into Carlisle Cullen's eyes for the first time...and he didn't look impressed.

The drive back to my apartment was quiet, as we were all lost in our own thoughts. My thoughts stayed constantly flooded with Edward, as they usually were. I spent every minute of my life now obsessing over him...obsessing over forgetting him, only to have him swamp my mind all over again. He was in enigma; a mixture of the cold, angry-looking man who stood at the doorway of Cullen Corporation, and sweet, kind Esme, the part of him that stood out only when his brick walls were down. The sick thing was that I found myself equally attracted to both sides of his personality.

We arrived at the apartment and Alice insisted on helping me with my bags, although they were few and meager in comparison with hers. Rose rolled her eyes at Alice's request to help, but shockingly followed us up the stairway. I sat my bags down, pulled out a key, but my hand froze halfway to the lock as Rose grabbed my arm with her stong grip. I stared at her in shock as she peered at the door.

"What is that sound?" she whispered, her pretty blue eyes wide as she looked first at me, then Alice and nodded towards the door. We exchanged confused glances before leaning over, pressing our ears close to the apartment door. I could hear a rumbling, growling sound, muffled by the door, sounding almost like an angry bear. We all jumped back in fear, with Alice digging around in her purse.

"Oh, hell no!" she hissed, digging around in the purse that was twice her size. "Bella, there's either a wild animal or some lunatic in your apartment. I'm fixing to jack him up!" Rose nodded as though she knew what Alice was planning. She grabbed the key out of my trembling hand and slid it in the lock, turning the knob and, barely, cracked open the door a hair. The rumbling continued, louder now that the door was open.

I gulped in horror, fumbling in my back pocket for my phone. "May...maybe I should call the police," I gasped, my body turning cold in horror.

Alice whipped out a tiny black pistol, so tiny that it looked like a toy, and screamed, "Fuck the po-po!" waving the gun around as she kicked the door the rest of the way open with her tiny foot. After that, everything happened in a blur of events.

The door flew open, Alice and Rose rushing in and me following, like the fool I was. Laying on my couch was not a giant grizzly bear, but a man just as big. He lay sprawled on his chest across the couch, his arms and legs dangling off, wearing my fuzzy pink bathrobe, which bunched up over his big, muscular, slightly hairy naked ass. A throw pillow covered his face and none of the commotion we made rushing into the room fazed him as he continued to snore loudly.

"Oh, my God, Bella! It's some freaking pervert!" Alice screeched, aiming the gun at the man's ass, jumping in front of me as I gazed over her shoulder. "He's naked! Should I shoot him in the ass or wake him up?"

I couldn't answer, for the longer I stared at his ass, the more familiar it began to look. Alice, thinking I was in a state of shock, crept closer to the man before poking him in one ass cheek with the butt of the gun.

"Wake up you hairy bastard!" she screamed, jumping back as the man began to stir.

He groaned, stretched, and turned over, the pillow falling from his face as the robe pulled open, exposing his giant chiseled chest. His dark hair tousled with sleep and the deep dimples that normally graced his face were hidden by his deep frown as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

I let out a groan as he fully turned over, exposing his large, flaccid penis, and I moaned, "Oh, my God, what are you _doing_ here!" Things happened very quickly after that.

The man's eyes adjusted to the now bright room, Rose having switched on the light. His eyes fell to Alice, clutching her gun, and then at me, standing cautiously behind her. He zeroed in on Alice, again, looking her up and down, a familiar look of horror crossing his face. The man let out a very feminine scream, scrambling to get off the couch, his flaccid penis waving around like a limp noodle.

"Oh, my God, Bella!" he screamed hysterically, pointing at a confused Alice who, cautiously, upon hearing him yell my name, lowered the gun a fraction. "It's a midget, Bella! It's a freaking MIDGET! With a gun! The midget's got a gun! Aghhhhhhhh!" The man stumbled over the couch, catching his foot on a cushion, flipping head first over the couch, landing on the floor with a giant 'thud'.

"Emmett," I called softly, patiently. "This is Alice...and Rose...Alice is not a...little person. Remember, Emmett? Dr. Gerandy explained that they're not called midgets anymore."

Alice and Rose stared at me with a mixture of surprise and horror, before my step-brother shot up from the back of the couching, yelling and pointing at Alice, "Back away, midget! Take your gun and be gone!" The pink bathroom was now halfway off him, fully exposing his genitals, which I'd, shamefully, seen before. Emmett always loved to walk around the house naked.

"Are you crazy?" Rose sneered at Emmett, throwing her hands up in frustration and taking a step in his direction. "Alice is not a midget...she's just short!" Alice shot Rose a glare in response.

"Back off, Sasquatch! I know a midget when I see one!" my step-brother screamed, pivoting around to make a mad-dash to my bedroom. Unfortunately, in his frantic attempt to flee Alice, Emmett tripped, slamming his head into the door frame, a sickening crack filling the room as he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor on his back, causing us girls to scream in horror.

We cautiously approached Emmett, who lay sprawled on his back, eyes closed, a tiny cut on his forehead. I quickly covered him up as much as I could, his massive frame allowing very little room in my small bathroom. Rose ran to the kitchen, found a dishrag in a drawer, wet it under the faucet, and returned to where Alice and I were, kneeling next to Emmett. She placed the washrag to his forehead, holding pressure to stop the slight bleeding that occurred.

"Who is he, Bella? Is he crazy or something?" Alice whispered, trying not to disturb the beast of a man.

"No," I snapped, then sighed. "He's not crazy...he has Achondroplasiaphobia...a fear of little people. He watched this scary movie when he was a kid...about midgit clowns...he's had a fear of them since."

"I'm not a midget!" Alice spat, shoving the gun back into her purse.

"I know that," I sighed. "But Emmett thinks you're a...little person...he's half-asleep for God's sake!"

At that moment, Emmett's eyelids began to flutter, until they opened and he stared up at Rose, a dazed expression on his handsome face. "I musta died and went to heaven," he slurred, his dimples deepening. "Cause I see an angel." Rose snickered, making Emmett's grin widen, gracing her with his big, pearly white teeth...then his eyes fluttered to where Alice was kneeling.

"Arghhhhh!" he screeched again, causing all of us to jump away in surprise.

Emmett shot across the apartment, through my open door, past a surprised Angie, who now stood in the hallway. We ran past her, Eric giggling on her hip. The three of us quickly darted down the stairs and out of the apartment complex, to find Emmett running down the street, terrifying the pedestrians as he passed, half-naked, screaming profanities about killer midget's, wearing my pink bathrobe, his penis flapping in the cold, October wind.

**A/N****: I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THE CHAPTER! SEND ME SOME REVIEWS PEEPS! WHAT SHOULD EDWARD AND BELLA DO ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER? WHAT SHOULD WE NAME THE NEW NIGHTCLUB? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT MIDGET-FEARING EMMETT? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9: Don't Fear the Reaper

**A/N: I'M SO HAPPY Y'ALL LIKE EMMETT! FOR ALL THOSE WHO CELEBRATED HALLOWEEN LAST NIGHT, I HOPE YOU HAD TONS OF FUN! I WONDER IF BELLA'S HALLOWEEN WILL BE A FUN ONE...**

_Previously, in Chapter Eight..._

_"Arghhhhh!" he screeched again, causing all of us to jump away in surprise. Emmett shot across the apartment, through my open door, past a surprised Angie, who now stood in the hallway. We ran past her, Eric giggling on her hip, shuffling quickly down the stairs and out of the apartment complex, to find Emmett running down the street, terrifying the pedestrians as he passed, half-naked, screaming profanities about killer midgets, wearing my pink bathrobe, his penis flapping in the cold, October wind._

**CHAPTER NINE: DON'T FEAR THE REAPER**

"Bella! Your friend is going to get arrested!" Alice gasped, as we ran down the street, following the path that Emmett took. He'd disappeared around a corner, the pink bathrobe flapping behind him like a pink cape. Alice and Rose's heels clicked loudly against the concrete as we ran, frantically searching for Emmett.

"He's not my friend," I growled, exasperated at the scene Emmett had caused. "He's my idiot brother!"

Alice and Rose exchanged quick glances just as we rounded the corner where we last saw Emmett. We all stopped, just like on the cartoons, each of us slamming into one another as we reached a dead halt. There stood my brother, thrown across the hood of a police car, screaming, as a much smaller man, dressed in a black police uniform, struggled to clamp a pair of handcuffs around Emmett's thick wrists. A second officer arrived at the scene, his siren blaring and lights flashing, alerting more curious Memphians to leave their apartments and businesses to stare at the unbelievable scene before them.

The two officers continued to struggle with my brother, but he, being bigger than the two men put together, suddenly broke free, swinging around and exposing himself to everyone on the street. People screamed, people laughed, and a few looked quite impressed. All Alice, Rose and I could do was stare with our mouths hanging open.

Emmett's legs were slightly apart and he squatted a fraction, moving left and right, trying to find a way around the two officers facing him, his penis flopping around erratically. Suddenly, one of the men whipped out a black device and Emmett began screaming again.

"Don't tas me, man! Don't tas me!" he bellowed, shooting between the two officers. He stopped, dead in his tracks, as the metal prongs hit him, sending bolts of electricity into his screaming body, before he landed like the jolly green giant on the sidewalk. Everyone began screaming then, pedestrians and the three of us included, as Emmett lay unresponsive on the cold, concrete ground.

"Stay here," Rose commanded, glaring at Alice and I. My eyes were full of tears, as I stared at my poor brother laying face down on the ground. Rose stomped toward the scene, head held high, Alice clutching my arm to keep me from interfering.

"She'll take care of it," Alice reassured me, bringing a tiny arm around my waist as I wiped away my tears. "Don't worry, Rose will take care of everything." I nodded mutely, but couldn't imagine what the ice princess could say to these officers to convince them not to arrest my brother.

Rose approached the two officers, who were now bent over Emmett, cuffing, shaking and poking at him. He continued to lay, unmoving, as the two officers stood to greet Rose. She conversed with the two men, a friendly, patient expression upon her normally bitter face, as she moved her hands around frantically, gesturing toward Alice and I, causing the men to glance at us momentarily. The men nodded, and one spoke to Rose, gesturing down at my poor brother briefly. Rose nodded at whatever they said, giving them a sweet smile that they both returned, one of the men even removing his hat, blushing and shaking her hand. Rose then turned on her heel, returning to us as we watched the scene anxiously.

"They're going to take him in," she announced, grabbing us both by her arms in trying to remove us quietly from the scene. "They're not going to book him...but they do have to take him in, since he's caused quite a stir around here. But we can pick him up at the station as soon as we get there."

"How did you convince them not to book him?" I asked, pulling out of her grasp to watch the officers struggle to pick my brother up to place him in the police car. Several people now had their phones out, laughing and recording the policemen as they attempted to wake my bear of a brother up.

"I told them that he forgot to take his meds today, and that he's completely delusional, but harmless. I took full responsibility for him and told them I would make sure he got his meds from now on. I also reminded them that I'm the god-daughter of the police commissioner," she smirked, continuing to pull at my arm, which I struggled against. "And they certainly don't want to piss him off...or lose the annual donations that my family makes to the police department."

Just as Rose pulled us near the corner, Emmett popped up from the ground, screaming like a crazy person, darting across the parking lot straight towards us, the cops running frantically behind him, his arms now drawn behind his back as they lay trapped in handcuffs. A smile lit his frantic face upon seeing me, but as soon as he saw Alice he stopped, his face drawn back in horror, swinging back towards the officers who struggled to grab him by his arms.

"Take me man! Just take me!" he yelled, glancing over his shoulder at Alice. "Get me away from the midget!" The last thing that I saw as we turned the corner was Emmett's naked ass as it slid and squeaked across the leather backseat of the police car.

Rose, Alice and I dashed back to my apartment, Rose pointing up at my building and demanding that I gather any clothes that I could find of Emmett's while she cranked her shiny, black car. Alice slid into the front passenger seat as I rushed up the stairs panting breathlessly as I passed Angie and Eric again in the hallway. I ran into my apartment and found a large, black duffel bag thrown precariously on the floor near the couch where we'd found Emmett laying. Un-zipping the bag, I grabbed an armful of clothes and darted out of the apartment, slamming the door behind me and yelling over one shoulder, to Angie, "I'll explain later!"

Running down the stairs, I exited the building, sliding into the backseat as Rose slammed her foot on the gas pedal, jerking us all back, and causing my door to shut beside me. I clutched Emmett's clothing to my chest as I nervously chewed on my ruined thumbnail, a nasty habit I'd had since childhood. Rose maneuvered the expensive vehicle down the busy street, heading in the direction of the police station.

"This makes us even, Swan," Rose said, glancing at me in the review mirror.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, staring back at her icy reflection, dropping my thumb from my mouth.

"I don't like owing anyone for anything," she explained, turning on her turn signal before going through a green light. "This is my way making things even...from the night at the grocery store. Now I don't owe you anything. Got it?"

"You know, I don't understand your hostility towards me," I snapped, huffing angrily. "And I've not tried to make you feel like you owe me anything to begin with. I don't expect anything from you...but I am grateful for what you did for Emmett, no matter how much you dislike me, I'll always be grateful for what you're doing for him."

She didn't answer, cutting her eyes away from mine in the review mirror as we pulled up at the police station. Alice grabbed the door handle, but Rose stopped her, explaining, "I think it's for the best that you stay in the car. Somehow, I have to convince him that you're not a little person and get him into my car. If you're standing outside when we come out of the building, it might make it harder to talk him into coming with me." Alice glared at her, letting go of the handle to cross her arms in front of her, her face red with anger. Rose opened the back door, taking the armful of clothes with me. Peering through the dark glass, I watched as she marched up the steps to the police station, tossing her golden locks over one shoulder as a group of police officers gawked at her.

"She's really a great friend to have," Alice murmured softly, turning in her seat to face me. "I know she comes across slightly abrasive...but she's had a difficult life and it's hard for her to trust people."

"Slightly abrasive?" I scowled, rolling my eyes. "She's downright harsh!" Alice frowned before turning back in her seat to stare up at the building. Alice's words repeated in my mind, and I wondered what could have happened in Rose's life to cause her bitter, cold personality. We all had her demons...me included. She didn't have to help Emmett like she did, and I vowed to remember this act of kindness she bestowed upon us anytime she spoke rudely to me in the future.

Moments later, Rose and Emmett emerged from the building, Rose now holding my pink bathrobe against her chest as she walked down the stairs with Emmett, who, thankfully, was more appropriately dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve navy shirt. He approached the car cautiously, standing on the sidewalk with untrusting deep blue eyes.

Rose knocked on Alice's window, gesturing for her to roll it down, which she hesitantly did. She handed Alice the bathrobe, which Alice tossed over her shoulder on the seat beside me.

"He wants to meet you," Rose whispered, glancing first at Alice and then to Emmett. "I think I have him convinced...but he wants to get a good look at you before he gets into the car."

Alice and I exchanged looks and I shrugged, stupefied. Alice carefully pulled on the door handle, sliding out of the car, leaving the door open behind her as she wrung her hands, staring up at my giant brother. He peered down at her, giving her a good once over, a serious expression on his face.

"Are you sure you're not a midget?" he asked, carefully taking in her appearance.

"No, I'm not a freaking midget!" she screeched, stomping her foot like a little kid. Emmett stared at her a bit longer before breaking into a giant grin, laughed loudly, and scooped little Alice up in a huge hug, swinging her flailing body around like a tiny doll.

"I'm sorry, kid!" he apologized, setting the now red-face Alice back on the sidewalk. "I drove two hours from Parchman, Mississippi expecting to see my little sister and stayed up all day waiting for her. I took a shower and fell asleep. When I woke up to find you standing over me...well, it was just like that movie I watched when I was a kid." Emmett visibly shuddered as his eyes grew distant, remembering the terrifying movie he watched as a child.

"Can we go now?" Rose snapped, marching over to the driver's seat and gracefully slipping behind the wheel. Alice climbed back into the car, slamming the door beside her as Emmett scooted in beside me, squeezing the breath out of me as he wrapped his big arms around me, the muscles of his arms crushing my ribs. He let me go as I began to squeak, patting him awkwardly on his back.

"What are you doing here, Em?" I gasped, struggling to get my breath. He gave me a sulky look, looking like a scolded child.

"What, I can't visit my kid sister?" he asked, as we pulled into traffic.

"No, Em, I mean, why are you _here _and not in Parchman?" I specified, staring at his profile intently. I could feel Rose's watchful eyes in the rearview mirror as she and Alice eavesdropped on our conversation.

"Early release," he smirked, a cocky grin on his adorable face. "I was a good boy and the let me out early."

"Wait...are y'all talking about _Parchman_, as in _Parchman prison_?" Alice asked, her eyes round in wonder.

"The very one," Emmett responded, flashing her his pearly whites.

"What were you doing in prison?" Rose, asked, raising a well-sculpted eyebrow in question.

"Arrested and sentenced for being_ awesome_," he laughed, stretching his arms, his back popping and cracking as he rolled his head around and yawned. "Thank God they didn't book me back there. I'd went back to prison, and I'm sick of all the other prisoners throwing themselves at me trying to be my bitch, but hey, at least no one tried to make me_ their _bitch," he laughed, scratching his belly. Rose scowled at him as we pulled up in front of my apartment complex. I couldn't imagine any man trying to make my massive brother _their bitch_...it was almost humorous.

"Em, how in the hell are you in Tennessee?" I asked. "Aren't you violating your probation by being in a different state?"

"Naw," he responded, his southern drawl creeping out. "Jasper took care of all of it. You're the only family I've got left, so I've got nowhere else to go. I just have to meet with my p.o. here every month."

I said nothing in response, wondering what kind of strings Jasper had to pull to get them to allow Emmett to live across state lines. I was a little pissed that Emmett and Jasper decided this would be a good place for Emmett to live, without even taking my opinion into consideration. Knowing the two of them, I assumed they knew I wouldn't put up much of an argument on the subject, considering how close the three of us had always been.

As we exited the vehicle, Rose and Alice surprisingly followed us to the door. They were curious about my stepbrother, I suppose, and we followed his burly frame up the stairs. They waited patiently as I unlocked my door, just as Angie popped her head out from her apartment, gawking at my now fully dressed brother who shot her a sexy grin as she slowly joined us in the hallway, Eric tucked safely in her arms.

"Hey, there, Mommy," he greeted her, grabbing her small hand and shaking it violently. "I'm Emmett, Bella's big brother."

Angie's mouth dropped open as she stared first up at Emmett sparkling blue eyes, and then dropped them to his crotch. Her cheeks turned pink under her dark skin as she muttered, "Um, hi. I'm Angie...Bella's friend...and neighbor."

"Good to know ya. Sorry about earlier...I thought the shortie over there was a midget and it kinda freaked me out. Who's this little monster?" Emmett asked, tickling Eric on his portly belly. Eric began giggling, spit drooling down from his mouth. Before Angie could respond, Emmett carefully took Eric from her hands, cuddling him next to his chest as he cooed sweetly at him. Rose, Angie and Alice stared at him in shock as he turned away, talking silly baby talk, and carried Eric into my apartment.

"Should I be worried?" Angie asked, following me into the apartment, a stunned Alice and Rose closely lagging behind.

"No, Em's harmless. And he loves children," I told her rolling my eyes. Em was sitting on the couch, coddling Eric as he wiggled his thick fingers under his arms. Eric laughed and bounced, and then would stare at my brother, his dark eyes big in wonder, causing Emmett to laugh heartily. Angie, Alice and I all sat at my kitchen table, but Rose, curiously enough, joined Emmett and Eric, sitting delicately on the couch beside them, watching Emmett with a carefully guarded face.

"You see this chick, little man," he told Eric, turning him to face Rose and pointing his finger at her. "That's what you call a hottie. Can you say 'hottie'?" Eric just smiled and babbled at Rose, who narrowed her eyes at Emmett. She took him carefully from his arms, staring down at Eric. Rose dropped her guard, momentarily, as she gazed down at the wiggling baby in her arms, a sweet smile gracing her beautiful face.

"If you ever need a babysitter, Emmett's your man," I explained to Angie, nodding my head in Em's direction. "He knows CPR, rescue breathing, all that stuff."

"Yup, best doggone babysitter in Masen, Mississippi," Emmett boasted, watching Eric as Rose looked up at him in surprise. "All the parents called me when I was younger to watch their kids. Can't wait to have a houseful of my own some day. Just gotta find the right girl to marry first. Harder than it sounds," he muttered, looking slightly sad. Emmett loved with his whole heart, only to have it broken more than once. Rose continued to watch him carefully.

"Em, you're only twenty-two," I told him softly, seeing the broken look on his face. "And you've been kinda..._busy_ the last two years. You'll find the perfect girl one day." He said nothing as Rose handed Eric back to him, his face finally taking on a soft smile. He held Eric close to him, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Excuse me," I heard Rose say softly, as she stood from the couch. "Bella, may I use your restroom?" she asked, her face looking sullen and her eyes slightly watery. I nodded, pointing at the bathroom door, and watched as she shuffled across the apartment, closing the door quietly behind her as she disappeared into my bathroom.

"What's wrong with her?" Em asked quietly, gazing at the bathroom door curiously as he joined us at the table.

Alice looked pensive for a moment, before explaining quietly, "Rose...gah I shouldn't tell y'all this...Rose was pregnant in high school and her dad sent her off to have the baby. He told everyone she was studying in Europe. Instead, she stayed with some relatives out-of-state and had the baby there. They wouldn't even let her hold the baby after giving birth...taking it as soon as she delivered. She doesn't even know if she had a boy or a girl. That's why she's an adoption agent now...she places neglected or abused children in good homes. She gets so sad sometimes...No one knows about what she's been through, but for some reason I feel like I can trust y'all not to say anything."

We all exchanged sad looks, and I got a better grasp of why Rose built those walls all around her. We all studiously avoided her gaze as she walked out of the bathroom, sniffing, her face slightly blotchy. She leaned against the counter as Emmett started to chat away.

"So, how did you guys all meet?" he asked, bouncing Eric on his knee.

"Oh, Bella saved me and Rose's life!" Alice squealed, jumping around in her seat. I rolled my eyes and scowled, but Emmett quickly caught on.

"Ohhh...you guys were at the grocery store, huh? Yeah, our cousin Jasper told me all about it. Bella's a regular bad-ass, huh? When she's not falling on her face or fainting," Emmett laughed, like it was the funniest thing ever. I slapped him on the arm, causing him to wince slightly, as if I could ever hurt him.

"Yup, plus she saved my brother a couple of weeks ago from getting shot," Alice added, gazing at me, her green eyes twinkling. My stomach rolled, as it usually did anytime my mind wandered to thoughts of Edward, and I avoided Alice's knowing stare.

"I heard you're a regular Annie Oakley, Bella," Rose added, the blotchiness now faded from her face. "How did you learn how to shoot like that?" I gnawed on my lip, breaking the skin, the familiar metallic taste of blood entering my mouth.

"Good ol' Uncle Pete," Emmett sneered, his face suddenly turning angry. "May he rot in hell for eternity." He stood up suddenly, handed Angie her baby back, and left the room, slamming my bedroom door behind him, leaving my friends bewildered.

"Sensitive subject," I explained, casting my eyes towards my bedroom door. I envisioned Em laying on my bed pouting as he stared at the ceiling.

"Anytime you need to talk, Bella, I'm here for you," Angie whispered, giving me a kind smile. Returning her smile, I was overcome with emotion, knowing that I had such a good friend.

"Me, too!" Alice piped in, grabbing my hand from the table and squeezing it tightly. "I told you we were going to be the best of friends!"

The room was silent for a moment as I gazed at the two girls in front of me, before Rose cleared her throat and said softly, "Ditto here, Bella." Looking up at her in shock, I met her pretty blue eyes, almost violet in color, surrounded by thick eyelashes. Her face was still slightly cautious, but she gave me a truly sincere smile. Somehow, for some reason, her acceptance of me caused me to burst into tears.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Angie asked, as I pulled my hand away from Alice and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"I've never had any girlfriends before," I explained, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "It just feels really good to have friends like you." I gave them a watery smile, which they quickly returned. After a moment of silence, I knew what I had to do. Angie knew a bit about my past, but Alice and Rose knew nothing. If these girls wanted to be my friends, I had to let them in and give them a little glimpse of the real Bella Swan.

"My uncle Pete and Aunt Charlotte took me in after my mother passed away," I whispered, causing them to stare at me curiously, eyebrows raised. "Uncle Pete...he was a military man...discharged after failing multiple psychological exams. He was a sniper, and became obsessed with training his son, my cousin Jasper, on becoming a sniper as well. When he took me in...it was like it completely fulfilled his fantasies. He'd always wanted a daughter, but Aunt Charlotte never became pregnant after Jasper. He began training me and it didn't take long for him to realize that I was a natural with a gun, with any weapon in fact. Jasper and I always competed with one another, vying for Pete's attention. My own father never showed me that much attention, so I ate it up. Jasper was slightly jealous, although he'd never admit it. He didn't have to; I could see it in his eyes. His father began paying more attention to his niece than he did his own child. Jasper became obsessed with trying to please him."

"The whole time," I continued, my eyes roaming their faces as they continued to listen to my story. "The whole time, Pete was brainwashing us, filling us with crazy conspiracies. You see, he'd become a vigilante. A couple of years later, my father, Charlie, married Emmett's mother, Sue. Emmett...well, let's just say Emmett has gifts of his own, and Pete soon realized that as well. Emmett was drawn in to the whole thing, like a moth to a flame. We were all a bunch of stupid kids and Pete had us all wrapped around his little finger."

"Things just got worse after that," I whispered, my eyes becoming hazy as the memories drifted through my mind. I said nothing more, as my throat became tight with emotion.

"What a psychotic asshat," Rose muttered, her mouth twisted in a frown. "No wonder Emmett hates him."

"Don't worry, Bella," Alice said, patting my hand. "When you're ready to tell the rest of the story, we'll be here for you."

I thanked them and Alice, thankfully, changed the subject, chatting about the bar re-opening in a few days. I was glad for the break from the bar, especially since Emmett had shown up. Several minutes later, Angie announced that she needed to go home and feed Eric. She exited my apartment after giving me a quick hug and peck on the cheek. Alice and Rose left not long afterwards, promising to stop in the next couple of days. After they left, I wandered into my bedroom, finding Emmett just the way I imagined, laying on my bed staring grimly at the ceiling. I crawled in beside him, playing with his dark, almost black curls on his head.

He lay silently as I told him about the bar where I worked, trying to get his mind off the bad memories that we both shared. I spoke of meeting Edward, his face turning towards mine curiously as the apples of my cheeks blushed red. I explained what took place in the alley, how he helped cover it up to protect me...us...and the overwhelming emotions that consumed me when I was in his presence. I told him what an asshole he was most of the time, but, sometimes, when he thought no one was paying any attention, I saw the real Edward Cullen, the man that he could be. He listened intently as I explained Carlisle Cullen's inconceivable demands of the future Mrs. Edward Cullen, how his demands made it impossible for the two of us to be together. He interrupted me, finally, to ask me an embarrassing question.

"Did you sleep with him?" he asked, staring deeply into my eyes. I felt my cheeks becoming hotter as I avoided his probing stare.

"No, Emmett. I did not sleep with him," I hissed. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Yeah, but y'all messed around," he grinned. "I can tell by the look on your face. Were you...okay with it?" he asked, the grin melting away as he anticipated my reply.

I blew out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Actually, yes. I was more than okay with it," I responded, covering my face with my hands. Emmett chuckled beside me.

"That's good, Bellarina," he responded, using my childhood nickname that he'd cursed me with. He began calling me Bellarina after watching me trip multiple times, telling me I lacked the grace of a ballerina.

Removing my hands from my face we lay beside each other quietly for a minute before Emmett broke the silence once again. "You know that Rose girl?" he asked, turning and giving me a serious face, to which in nodded in reply. "I think she's the one B. I can feel it right here," he added, tapping his chest where his heart lay beneath. My poor stepbrother, always falling for someone he couldn't have...must run in the family.

"You maybe spoke two words to her, Em. And she's the daughter of a senator," I explained quietly, but his expression never changed. "Do you think her parents would be accepting of an ex-convict for their little princess?"

He said nothing for a moment, staring deeply into my eyes, before telling me, "You know, B, when love is involved, nothing is impossible. That little shit, like what's your favorite color and all that mess, that's not the important stuff. It's the feeling you get when you're near that person that counts. I know that girl's the one for me. And I'm going to do anything in my power to be with her. She may not know it yet, but it's gonna happen. And, a word of advice little sis, there is no obstacle you can't overcome when love is involved, because love is worth it. Love is worth all the bitterness and heartache. When you love someone you fight for them, B. Remember that."

My eyes filled with tears at his words, but he simply ruffled my hair, stood up from the bed and announced that he was starving, before stalking out of my bedroom to rummage through the refrigerator. I stared at the ceiling, Emmett's words repeating in my mind as I let them slowly sink it. He was right...love is worth fighting for. Did I _love_ Edward? I chewed my lip thoughtfully, not completely sure of the answer. I was definitely attracted to Edward...and I wondered and worried about him every day...and I missed him terribly. Was that love? I couldn't be sure...I'd never fallen in love before.

The next couple of days off work went by in a blur. Emmett would eye my computer that I had strictly banned him from, except to print off a résumé. He spent all day passing out resumes, only to return to the apartment with frown on his face. Rose and Alice showed up in the evening time, both days, with the excuse of dropping in to visit me, but I secretly believed the two of them stopped in just to see Emmett, who sent Alice into fits of giggles with his stories of stupid things we did growing up. He flirted excessively with Rose, who would simply cross her arms and glare at him in return. Before long, it was Halloween day, the grand re-opening of the bar, and Alice and Rose showed up bright and early that morning, clutching shiny black bags in their arms, glancing curiously around for Emmett.

"He's out trying to find a job, still," I explained, letting them into the apartment and gazing inquisitively at the shiny, dark bags. Alice and Rose giggled, throwing them on the couch, Alice bouncing around like a pogo stick.

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed, turning to the bags and digging around. "I've spent all week promoting the new nightclub and trying on costumes. Here, try yours on."

"Costumes?" I asked, as she shoved several articles of clothing into my hands.

"Yes, Bella," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Gah, I'm glad you weren't listening and didn't buy something plain and boring to wear. I told you guys that opening night is a costume party!" She squealed, jumping up and down, clapping her hands. She most certainly had not told me that opening night was a costume party, and I stared at her and then the clothing in my arms suspiciously.

"Fine," I grumbled, stalking to my bedroom. I shut the door behind me, a little harder than I intended to, and tossed the clothing on the bed. Holy crap! What was Alice thinking? Scowling, I slipped my comfy clothes off and pulled the costume on until it fully covered me...well, covered me as much as it could. Staring in the mirror, my eyes widened in shock at the girl standing before me. My mouth set in a firm line, and I burst out of my bedroom glaring at my two new 'friends'.

"This," I snarled, pointing at myself. "Is not a costume. I look like a freaking prostitute!"

Alice and Rose stared eye me, huge grins on their faces as I did a shaky pirouette. I wore blood-red panties that were meekly covered by black, assless leather chaps, tied together with small strings along the inside of my legs, exposing my delicate flesh. The blood-red bra I wore poked out under a black, leather vest, pressing what little breasts I did have over the top. Alice had even purchased a holster which held fake, plastic guns, dangling from both of my hips. My body was about ninety percent exposed and I looked like a street-walker.

"Oh, my gawd, it's perfect!" Alice chirped, as I spun around exposing my backside, my cheeks poking out of the underwear. About that time I heard the key sliding into the door and my brother entering the room.

"Holy, crap! Who is this smoking hot...ARGHHH!" he screamed, as I turned around to glare at him. He dropped a bag of groceries on the floor, it's contents spilling out over the top, as he covered his eyes with his beefy hands. "MY EYES! THEY'RE BURNING! GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD, GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD!" he screamed, running to the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. Alice, Rose and I took one look at one another before bursting into a fit of giggles.

He returned, a moment later, his hand shielding me from his view. "What the hell are you wearing?" he asked angrily, stalking to the bag of discarded groceries and returning the contents to the bag. We stumbled to the kitchen, still not looking in my direction. "Damnit, Bells! That's not the image I want to see when I think about my little sister! Where do you think you're going in that get-up?"

"The grand re-opening is tonight, Em," I explained, tugging at the chaps in a hopeless attempt to cover my exposed flesh. "It's a costume party...everyone will be dressed up for Halloween."

"You guys are having a party and you didn't invite me?" he sulked, temporarily forgetting his awkwardness and anger over my costume. "You guys know it's not a party till it's an Emmett McCarty party! Ha, that rhymes! See, told ya! Party is my middle name! Emmett Party McCarty!"

We rolled our eyes at his dumb joke as Alice said, "Em, I've already got it taken care of. I put you on the VIP invite list." He stopped tossing groceries in the fridge long enough to barrel across the room and grab Alice up in an awkward hug, giving her a big, sloppy kiss on one cheek.

"I gotta get a costume," he whispered, staring into space, setting Alice down, his eyes turning serious. "I don't have much time." He spun around, heading for the door, but not before giving Rose a loud smack on the ass as he passed her by, causing her to yelp in alarm and throw a punch his way, which he quickly avoided. He chuckled gaily as he left the apartment, closing the door loudly behind him. I could hear him whistling in the hallway as he left, the sound eventually dying away.

"You know he's, like, in love with you, right?" I told Rose, who stood fuming, staring at the door Emmett closed behind him. She turned to me then, eyebrows raised, staring at me, a dazed expression on her face.

"He's been trying to get your attention since you first met," I continued, watching as she narrowed her eyes at me silently. "If you don't like him...let him down gently. He may come across as a jokester and whatnot, but he's really very sensitive, and I love him, so please try not to hurt his feelings...okay?" Rose didn't speak, only nodding pensively, averting her eyes from my watchful gaze.

"Make sure you shave," Alice blurted, effectively breaking the weird tension that quickly filled the room. "Make sure you shave..._everywhere_...because when my brother sees you in that costume...you'll be thanking me for that little nugget of advice."

"Alice!" I gasped, appalled by what she insinuated and by the very mention of Edward's name. She always cleverly avoided the topic and I wondered if it was because she knew it was a sensitive one.

"Oh, come on! He's going to be there tonight and I'm tired of him biting everyone's heads off, stalking around with that brooding expression on his face," she snapped, grabbing her purse and heading to the door, a still-silent Rose quietly following her. "He told me what he suggested the two of you do...and all I can say is that my brother is a moron. But I love that sulky idiot, so try not to hold it against him. He's realized what a mistake it was to ask you to do something like that, and, I have a feeling, he's going to try to make it up to you tonight." With that, Alice left the room and walked into the hallway, but Rose turned, gave me a sneaky grin, winked and said, "Make him work for it, Bella." Rose left my apartment, leaving me standing alone in the living room, wearing my black, skimpy, cowgirl hooker outfit.

Emmett never returned to the apartment. I sat the rest of the day staring at the clock on the wall, chewing on my nails, trying to memorize my new drink menu, which didn't work out so well since my thoughts were consumed with the night that lay ahead. Eventually, red-face, I obliged with Alice's demands, jumping in the shower and shaving _everywhere_, drying off after my shower and coating my body with thick, honeysuckle scented body lotion. I put on the stupid cowgirl outfit, scowling at myself in the mirror as I did so.

Taking my time, I dried my hair with my blow-dryer, then curled in long, thick curls using my rarely used curling iron. After debating for several minutes, I grabbed my makeup bag from under the sink, huffing in annoyance as I carefully applied makeup...which I very seldom wore. Making my eyes smokey with dark shadow and black eyeliner, I finished it all off by coating thick mascara over my long lashes. For some reason there was a tube of never-before used lipstick in the bottom of my bag, and I withdrew it, opening it up and almost laughing at the blood-red color that popped out as I twisted the bottom of the tube. Gently, I slid the lipstick over my lips, then made sure it wouldn't get on my teeth. Staring in the mirror was a girl I'd never seen before. No, not a girl, a woman...an extremely sexy woman who I could not believe was _me_.

After sliding on a pair of black cowboy boots that Alice had left beside my bedroom door, I opened up my tiny closet, digging around until I found my long, black coat. Thank goodness the weather had turned rather cool, as I refused to walk to work dressed as a street whore. Slipping my arms in the coat, I cinched it tightly around my waist, I grabbed my keys from the counter and stuffed them into my pocket, exiting my apartment.

All the employee's were to meet early at the club, so Alice could show us around the newly renovated building. A nervous bubble inflated in my belly as I finally approached Beale Street, passing ghouls, goblins, and pink faeries along the way. I wasn't sure if the nervousness stemmed from my new role at the club, or the fact that Edward himself would be there. As I walked with my head down, my mind consumed with wonder, I bumped into a vaguely familiar person.

It was a man dressed as Jesus, the same man who I had assisted the night a drunkard threw a beer at him, knocking him to the ground. He still smelt of cheap vodka, and was obviously drunk by the way he giggled and stumbled after we smacked into one another, his eyes glassy and the white gown he wore billowing around as a slight breeze drifted down Beale.

"Hello, again!" he slurred, giving me a grin.

I smiled back awkwardly, explaining that I needed to get to work. He nodded, exploding into hysterical laughter as I eagerly left him on the sidewalk, stumbling and yelling scriptures at my back. Beale Street, as usual, was alive with music and dancing, but now the street was also filled with drunk people in costumes; nuns, ghosts, zombies, princesses, you name it, Beale Street had it. As I approached what was formally known as McMillan's, I stared up in amazement at the transformation in front of me.

"Awesome, huh?" Carmen piped up, standing among the crowd of employees in front of the club.

I nodded, noticing she looked like the grim reaper, wearing a long black, silk robe, her face concealed by a large, drooping hood, as she held a tall, realistic looking, plastic scythe in one hand. The other hand held a large, old-fashioned candle lantern, a flameless candle flickering eerily inside.

The front of the building was now painted black, the tacky window paint previously announcing cheap beer prices was now gone. Instead, the windows were sparkling clean and slightly dark. Flashing lights, pink, blue, green, could be seen inside, whisking across the dance floor in multiple shapes and designs. There was now a black awning over the door of the club, which announced the name, _Fate_, in elegant, hot pink cursive script. People were already lined up, although the grand opening was still an hour away.

Alice eagerly bounced up and down in the midst of the crowd hollering as loud as she could, "Fate employees...inside now!" as the doors were held open by two burly men dressing completely in dark clothing, who peered at the group of us somberly. Thumping, rhythmic hip hop music flowed through the doors as our enthusiastic group scrambled inside.

My mouth dropped open as we entered the club, the walls completely black aside from neon wall sconces that lined the room. Plush, black leather seating lined the walls around a dance floor. A small stage and a DJ booth sat nearby, with a thin man spinning records standing behind it. He wore a white hoodie and had a three-day old shadow across his face. There were a couple of areas roped off, a pink sign announcing the VIP area near each one. Those areas contained dark, shiny tables, and thick cushioned seats. Pretty, expensive tables with tall stools sat throughout the club, away from the dance floor, and the crappy bar where I once served drinks was now transformed, the top now a deep, black marble, neon blue lights running the length of it. The shelves full of alcohol behind the bar were lit up with neon pink lights, and a sweet-smelling mist flowed over the dark, wooden floor as we walked around, taking it all in with wide eyes.

"So, what do you think?" I heard a chipper voice ask. I turned my head, getting my first good look at Alice.

She wore a skin-tight black corset with a fluffy, short black tulle skirt and fish net stockings. The shoes on her feet looked painful; black six-inch heels. Alice had a shiny silver police badge pinned to her corset and she wore a black police hat. Her eye makeup was dark, smoky and sexy. A pair of real handcuffs dangled from one small hip. She looked amazing.

"I think you look great and so does this place! I can't believe you did all this!" I responded, giving her a quick hug. She grinned, hopping up and down on the uncomfortable looking heels.

"Come on, girl," Alice laughed, dragging me towards the VIP area. "This is where you'll be serving drinks. Did you memorize the drink menu while you were off?" I nodded in response and she gave me a huge smile. "That's great! Okay, so let me show you where everything is..." For the next several minutes Alice became a tiny whirlwind, showing, not only me, but the other employees as well, around the new club, pointing out where we needed to find anything to perform our jobs effectively. Alice had arranged everything so that it was very simple and organized.

"Where's Patrick?" I asked her suddenly, and her face fell slightly.

"Well, he decided to leave," she said, looking surprisingly sad, although I wasn't sure why. It wasn't as if she knew him very well. "He decided he wasn't cut out for it anymore...so my brother has me stepping in until we find a new general manager." I nodded thoughtfully, swallowing the lump in my throat as Alice mentioned _him_, and hoped that Patrick would find a job that he was more suitable for.

Alice guided us to the new employee lounge, which was basically a place to store all our belongings. She pointed out the new security cameras that placed sporadically throughout the bar, explaining that everything was recorded and could be viewed in the general manager's office. I became extremely nervous as I realized very soon I would have to remove my coat and expose my hooker outfit. Taking a deep breath, I un-cinched my belt, unbuttoning the large buttons and slipped it from my body, hanging it on a hanger in the employee lounge with my shaky hands. As I turned around, I found Tia and Carmen standing there staring at me, their mouths dropped open in shock.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Tia asked, eyebrows practically at the top of her forehead. She was wearing black slacks and a simple black shirt.

"What are you dressed as?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"My _damn _self," she responded, rolling her eyes. "If that crazy little methhead thinks I'm gonna wear some slut outfit, she's got another thing coming!

"Believe me, this was completely her idea," I said. "I would never, ever have picked this out myself."

"Well, good luck trying not to get noticed, like you usually do," Carmen giggled from beneath her dark hood. "You stand out like a sore thumb!"

"Great," I muttered, feeling totally exposed as I stood shifting awkwardly in the cowgirl outfit.

T and Carmen had pointed out my greatest fear; people staring at me. I inwardly cursed Alice for talking me into wearing the stupid costume in the first place. The three of us shuffled out of the room just in time to watch as the first customers entered the bar, their eyes taking in the newly refurbished establishment. The élite of Memphis arrived; doctors, lawyers, businessmen, all wearing elegant costumes, nothing cheap or tacky in the Cullen establishment. You could feel the wealth in the air, in the way they laughed, the way they smelled with their expensive cologne and perfume, the plastic bodies of the women after years of Botox and nip/tucks. The nervous knot in my throat grew bigger as I began taking drink orders, still no Edward in sight. My friends were right; everyone stared at me as I approached the different tables, along with Victoria and Laurent.

Rose wandered in sometime later, bringing the first real smile to my face that I'd had since taking multiple drink orders. She wore a sexy clown costume, and I wondered if it was her way of poking fun at Emmett, who still hadn't arrived. Rose wore a tight, sparkling, red dress with a royal blue front that ended just below her rear, which ended in hot pink ruffles. Hot pink ruffles ran along the edge of her sleeveless dress as well, and giant, red, fluffy balls ran from her chest to the bottom of the dress. Hot pink fish nets and matching platforms graced her legs and feet and she wore a pointy royal blue clown hat on the top of her bouncing blonde curls. She shot me an evil grin, and started towards me, my face lit in a smile, which quickly faded away when I looked past her shoulder at the small group of people behind her.

Carlisle Cullen stood laughing, one hand placed on the small of his wife's back. The white zoot suit he wore looked authentic, a matching white fedora sat on the top of his flawless head. Esme stood beside him, beaming at his face as he laughed, wearing a flashy red flapper dress. A red sequined band wrapped around her head, shinning under the strobe lights, a giant red feather swaying from the band as she moved her head. They were both beautiful, but it was the man standing morosely behind them that took my breath away.

He was tall and dark in his black pinstripe zoot suit, a black fedora tipped down in the front of his head, hiding his luscious copper hair. A pink tie hung from his neck, his hands lay casually inside his pant pockets and he surveyed the room bitterly. The roaming lights above him shot across his body, making him glow from time to time...he looked like a dark angel sent from hell to steal my soul. Maybe he already had. He never met my eyes, never felt my gaze, and I wondered momentarily if our spell no longer existed, if we were away from one another long enough for the river of emotion between the two of us to dry up. I watched as Alice ran to her parents and brother, hopping around like a bunny on crack. Carlisle gave her a stiff smile as he took in his little girls outfit, and an awkward hug. She led them to a lounge area, pointing at the thick cushioned seats and glancing around the room briefly before her eyes landed on me. My heart stopped as she began gesturing for me to walk towards her, and my head shook a fraction as, I realized with horror, she was expecting me to serve her brother and parents.

"You look so cute, Bella! I love your makeup! What...," Rose's voice trailed off as she looked where I stared, watching as Edward and his parents slid into the VIP area. "Bella, listen. You have me, Alice and even Esme on your side. Edward has his head so far up his father's ass Carlisle has to fart so he can breathe. Screw Edward. Screw Carlisle. Go over there and flaunt what your mama gave you."

Staring into her pretty blue eyes, I knew she was right. The spell Edward had over me had to be broken. If he wanted to be with me he was going to have to man up and tell Carlisle where he could shove it. Filled with a sense of determination that I hadn't felt in a very long time, I gave Rose a nod of understanding, making her smirk with satisfaction. Pushing past her, I sauntered to where Alice stood next to the VIP area, watching me pensively as she saw the look on my face. Ignoring her, I stopped in front of the lounge, giving the Cullen's my best smile.

"Good evening! I'm your server, Bella," I said, pointing at the black name tag that I had pinned below one partly exposed breast. Edward stared at me, his eyes roaming me from head to toe, his mouth dropping open before turning down into a scowl as he saw how scantily dressed I was in the assless chaps and red underwear set. I smirked as I watched his face heat up in anger. "What can I get y'all to drink tonight?"

"Bella! It's so good to see you!" Esme cried, jumping from her cushy seat and grabbing me up in a hug. "You look just wonderful dear!" she exclaimed, giving me a secretive wink before kissing me on the cheek. She smelled like cookies and sunshine.

"Mrs. Cullen, you look as gorgeous as you always do," I replied sincerely. "And this is Mr. Cullen? It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, offering my hand. Carlisle Cullen stared at me momentarily, a cold smile on his face before standing and taking my hand. Instead of shaking it, be brought it do his mouth, giving it a light kiss.

"So this is the infamous Bella Swan," he murmured as I yanked my hand away from his lips. His eyes never left my face as he gave me a critic smile. "I've heard a lot about you Ms. Swan," he purred cryptically. He sat back down in the booth, his cold eyes still lingering on mine.

Had Edward mentioned me to his father...or had Alice or Esme? I couldn't be sure...and I also didn't know how to respond to his vague comment...I wanted to say,_ "I've heard a lot about you too, asshole. I've heard all about you asinine demands of your son. Kiss my ass." _I also wanted to smack the conceited, condescending smirk right off his cold face! Instead, I simply repeated, with a big fake smile on my face, "What can I get y'all to drink?"

They gave me their drink orders, Edward muttering his below his breath as he stared uncomfortably at my outfit. Giving another big, fake grin and throwing my long, brown waves over one shoulder, I marched to the bar, firing off the drink orders to Carmen who hustled around behind the bar, her scythe now propped up against the wall.

She quickly mixed the drinks as I chewed on my lip and muttered, "And a Jager shot." Carmen gave me a confused look as I had hesitated with the last drink order. Sitting the drinks in front of me, she stared wide-eyed as I grabbed the Jager shot, holding it up and exclaiming, "For my German ancestors!" and with that, I gulped the hot, burning liquid down my throat, my eyes filling with tears before slamming it back down on the bar and saying, "Gimme another."

"What in the world are you doing, Bella?" Carmen hissed, looking frantically around the room. "You can't drink on the job, that's stealing!"

"Pull the corn cob out of your ass, Car, and fix me another drink," I replied, raising one eyebrow. "I'll put some money in the register later if it makes you feel better."

"Hell, motherfreaking yeah, baby," Tia exclaimed, grabbing the Jagermeister out of Carmen's nimble fingers. "Drink up, Swan. I remember the last time you get drunk. That was some funny shit!" She cackled as she poured me another shot which I gulped down quickly. The drink didn't take long to kick in, and I began giggling excessively.

"Why are you drinking?" Carmen asked with concern. "I'm not Irish," I replied with a frown and a shrug, as if that were an acceptable answer. Tia and Carmen shared curious glances with one another and shrugged. I grabbed the Cullen's drinks, holding them unsteadily on my serving tray, practically skipping back to the lounge, somehow not spilling a drop.

"Here you go, guys! Enjoy!" I chirped, bursting into laughter as Carlisle Cullen looked at me quizzically. I slid the drinks across the table to each of them, shooting Carlisle a sexy wink, skipping away to another table, full of drunk young men who leered at me hungrily.

"You guys ready for some more?" I purred, tossing my hair over one shoulder and popping my hip.

A blonde guy with striking blue eyes licked his lips and said, "I'm ready for something, but it's not a drink." I snorted in response, giggling like a silly schoolgirl, the alcohol now taking full effect. The man grinned, gave me his drink order and I wiggled my way back to the bar, feeling the men's eyes on me the entire time.

Just as I made it to the bar and gave Carmen his order, I felt a warm hand wrap around my elbow. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I heard him say, and didn't even have to turn around to know who it was, his familiar scent and honey voice played in my dreams on a routine basis. "Get behind that bar! Everyone is staring at your ass!"

"Why, I'm just doing my job Mr. Cullen," I murmured, turning my head slightly to meet his lethal gaze. "I'm no longer a bartender. Apparently I lack the skills required of a bartender in a Cullen establishment...it's funny how disappointing I am to all of you, isn't it? Not good enough as bartender, not good enough for you..."

"Alice demoted you? She didn't tell me..." he sounded confused, and for some reason this made me burst into laughter. Carmen pushed a drink across the bar to me, her and Tia watching the exchange between Edward and I with comical expressions upon their faces. I laughed again.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen," I purred, clutching the drink in one hand as I turned around.

His face contorted in anger, and he glared at me with a murderous stare. I heard him take in a sharp breath as his eyes fell on my bulging cleavage. Giggling, I pinched his cheek and pushed past him, strolling back to the table full of drunk men. I handed my customer his drink with a silly, wobbly bow, and he took it from me, placing it on the table and grabbing me by my waist, effectively pulling me into his lap. His friends whooped and hollered as he grinned at them, whispering into my ear the things he wanted to do to me. His breath smelled like cigarettes and whiskey, and wasn't the breath that I wanted to smell, not the breath I wanted to wash over me. His erection pressed into my backside. Trying to wiggle away from him, I looked up in alarm, to see Edward stalking towards me, his hand reaching into the inside of his suit pocket, and I realized, with horror, that he was probably reaching for a gun.

That's when things got weird.

"Let go of my sister, cocksucker!" a loud voice boomed over the thumping hip hop music that filled the club. The man holding me dropped his hands from my waist, and I slid to the floor with a thud. I looked up, my face frozen in shock.

Standing above me was my stepbrother, wearing a giant hot dog costume, his arms sticking out of huge felt buns on each side of his body. A giant wiener ran the length of his body, the end of it sticking out precariously between his legs like a giant red penis. His angry face peered down at us through a hole inside the giant hot dog, a long curvy strand of fabric swirled down the front of him like a ribbon of mustard. Completely ignoring the fact that I was just mauled by a stranger and was sitting on the floor, I burst into hysterical laughter, tears flowing down my cheeks.

"You're a wiener, you're a wiener!" I chanted, falling over on my side, snorting and giggling.

Emmett scowled at me, picking me up from the floor and throwing me over one bun-covered shoulder. I howled in laughter at the look on Edward's face as I hung over Emmett's shoulder. Emmett spun around, crossing the club until we reached a dark corner, where he practically chunked me into a chair. I lay sprawled out, my arms flopping around, my sides sore from laughter and Emmett stared down at me.

"Bellarina, are you drunk?" my brother asked, his angry face slowly turning to one of amusement. I nodded and giggled and he shook his head in false disappointment, chuckling quietly. "Do you want me to go kick that guy's ass? Stay here and I'll kick his ass!"

"No, no, he's okay," I laughed, wiping the tears from my eyes. "He didn't do anything wrong. He probably thought I was a prostitute since I'm dressed like one!"

He ignored my comment, his eyes drifting across the club. "Guess I don't have to kick his ass after all...looks that that jackass is gonna do it for me." I followed Emmett's gaze just in time to see Edward speak to a bouncer who then grabbed the drunk young man across the floor, disappearing behind a door that led into the alley that ran beside the club.

Edward turned, catching my eye across the room, his gaze shifting from me to my brother. He stalked across the room, his hands clenched into tight fists, stopping in front of Emmett and I. Edward's breathing turned hard as he muttered, "We need to talk."

"Back off, sleezebag," Emmett growled, crossing his arms across his big, hot dog covered chest. "You leave my sister alone!"

"Your sister..." Edward murmured, straightening up. He face lost its typical scowl as he offered Emmett his hand. "I'm Edward Cullen..." His voice trailed off as he was unable to find a proper way to introduce himself, causing me to giggle again.

"Edward?" Emmett said, sizing him up, looking unimpressed. Edward dropped his hand awkwardly when Emmett refused to shake it. "This is the pansy you're in love with?" Emmett asked, jerking his thumb in Edward's direction. Edward looked at me in shock, at the mention of the word 'love'.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Tia interrupted, yelling, "Last call!"

I scrambled out of the chair, explaining through hiccups that I had to finish serving my customers. I left a befuddled Emmett and Edward behind as I returned to the lounge area where the Cullen's sat, minus Edward, to see that the evil vixen, Tanya, had now joined them. She wore a white Marilyn Monroe dress, her hair teased in a blonde bob. Her long, thin arms covered in silky white gloves and she was practically in Carlisle's lap as she effectively kissed his ass. Esme sat nearby glaring at her. Carlisle laughed and chatted with her, like they were old friends...which they possibly were. They'd apparently missed the debauchery between me, Emmett and the drunk guy, as Esme looked at me beaming when she finally noticed me standing there.

"Oh, Bella! There you are," she gushed, ignoring her husband and Tanya. "I'm so glad to see you...can you bring me something strong? Very stong?" she whispered the last part, slightly nodding her head towards Tanya who, now seeing me standing there, scowled at me.

"Yes ma'am," I smiled, skipping to the bar and ordering a strong, Irish whiskey. Carmen prepared the drink quickly, sliding it across the bar. My blood was still churning from the Jager, giving me liquid encouragement as I pranced back to the Cullen's. Edward returned to the table while I was away, sitting next to his mother. Tanya abandoned Carlisle in my absence and now pawed at Edward. A thrill of selfish pleasure shot through my body as I watched him push her away, scowling and glaring at her the whole time as she pouted.

"Here you are, Mrs. Cullen," I announced, Edward's head snapping up at my voice. "Here's you a stout, Irish whiskey."

"Ah, Irish whiskey. Only the best," Carlisle purred, watching as his wife took a sip, giving me a lopsided grin.

"Yes, unfortunately we can't all be Irish," I said, my voice think in false sadness as I frowned. His lopsided grin faded, and I watched as his eyes narrowed.

"Do you know anything of your people, Ms. Swan," Carlisle asked, picking up his glass and swallowing what was left of his drink. I heard Alice behind me as she hustled the remaining customers out the front door, and I eased into the seat beside Carlisle, causing him to stare at me with a cool gaze.

"Scottish and German," I answered, batting my eyes with a pout. I could feel Tanya's eyes boring into me. "Not a lick of Irish, I'm afraid."

"A real shame, isn't it, Ms. Swan?" Carlisle replied, sitting the now empty glass on the table and turning towards me. He gave me a cocky grin.

"Father, that's enough," Edward surprised me by saying, giving me a tender smile. His father growled unhappily, insulted by Edward's scolding voice.

"No, I'm proud of my heritage," I said, returning Tanya's evil stare. "How does my bloodline make any difference in my life?"

"Tradition, my dear," he responded, smiling evilly. "All families have traditions. This may surprise you, but we have a tradition of our own in our family." _Ahh...he wanted to play games now._

"And what is that, Mr. Cullen?" I asked innocently, twirling a long lock of hair around my finger. Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glancing at his father with an awkward expression on his face.

"Well, it is a Cullen to continue the Irish bloodline. Our ancestors are all Irish, and it is our responsibility to honor them by continuing the tradition."

"That's a shame," I replied, causing Carlisle to actually peer at me in surprise. "I'm sure a bunch of dead relatives could care less who your children spend the rest of their lives with."

I heard Edward and Tanya gasp, while Esme covered her giggle with a gloved hand. If looks could kill, I would already be dead by the angry glare I was receiving from Carlisle. Alice was yelling for everyone to get on the dance floor, and I leaned over, grabbing the rest of Edward's drink as he watched me, bewildered. I sucked in down in one gulp, slamming the empty glass back on the table and stood up, excusing myself from the group. The last thing I heard was Tanya's whiney voice whispering loudly, "I thought you said this club was classy, Carlisle? She looks like a two-bit whore!"

Walking behind the bar, I did just as I promised Carmen I would, shoving a handful of cash into the register that she had open. Rose and Alice approached the bar, big grins on their faces.

"Open bar!" Alice yelled. "After party!" I heard my brother let out a loud whooping war cry, and glanced in his direction, groaning as he scrolled through a small laptop sitting next to the DJ.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, watching me wrestle the Jagermeister bottle from Carmen's fingers. I poured myself a shot, letting the hot liquid burn my throat before replying.

"What's not wrong? Edward has spent the majority of the night either glaring or staring sadly at me, his ex-girlfriend won't keep her paws off him, his father hates my guts, and my brother is picking out the music. This night isn't going to end well," I answered, pouring my fourth shot of the night, which Carmen effectively pulled from my hand and swallowed herself. I gave her a crooked grin that she returned, grabbing a clean shot glass and making a drink for T.

"Drink up, T," I commanded, pushing the shot glass down the bar. It stopped right in front of her, four feet away, not a drop wasted. I'm not a good bartender, my ass!

"Uh, uh. I know your evil little plan. It starts with you getting me white-girl wasted and it ends with me waking up in a field somewhere naked...or worse, y'all gonna take me off somewhere and murder me," she said, staring down at the drink in front of her.

Shaking my head and chuckling, I chanted her name, Rose, Alice and Carmen effectively joining in. She eventually swallowed the drink, her face scrunching up at the taste. We hooted and hollered, encouraging her to drink more. Things after that became hazy, as the room starting tilting slightly.

Thankfully, Esme and Carlisle politely turned down Alice's invitation to stay for the after party, quietly leaving the building with their arms wrapped around one another. As Carlisle cast one cold stare at me over his shoulder, I held up a freshly poured Jager shot, saluting him as he left. Edward and Tanya stood near the front door, as he screamed at her to leave, pointing at the door beside him while she shook her head and stood her ground, planting her heels firmly on the floor and giving him a passive look. I couldn't be bothered with the two of them, because I was too busy getting hammered.

Eventually the remaining employees, along with Alice, Rose and Emmett, all ended up on the dance floor, dancing to Ice Ice Baby. Emmett began doing the running man, which led to the Roger Rabbit. Before long he was doing the jerk and then the cabbage patch. The next thing I know, Emmett sandwiched himself between Tia and Carmen, his giant red wiener poking Tia provocatively in the ass while Carmen had one leg throw around one of his hot dog buns, grinding herself against him, causing me to howl in laughter. He screamed, "You ever been with a white man before?" to Tia, and she replied, "No, why? Are you offering your services?" Rose, now in her own drunken state, started crying, running to the restroom, Alice trailing behind.

I groaned at my idiotic brother, finishing the drink I held as I wobbled across the room towards the restroom. As I passed the nearby hallway, the corner of the room now shrouded in darkness, I felt a cold hand grab me from behind, covering my mouth as I kicked and let out muffled screams, drowned out by the loud music.

I was in the hallway that led to the back of the club, pressed against someone who felt strangely familiar, yet not in a good way. I grasped at the hand that covered my mouth, the scream stuck in my throat when spoke for the first time.

"Isabella, it's been too long," the voice told me softly, my body frozen in terror. _No, no, no! It can't be him! Please, God, don't let it be him! _"Did you miss me? I missed you..." James whispered, a smile in his voice.

He never let go of my mouth to hear my response. "I knew I would find you eventually...I knew you would never leave the south, never stray far from home, although it has been somewhat worrisome tracking you down as Jasper covered every step you took. Now listen very carefully. Get rid of your brother, and tell Jasper to back the fuck off. I'm rather tired of him chasing me from state to state, country to country. He's very meticulous and unrelenting, I'll give him that. However, I've become quite bored with the whole thing. If this doesn't end soon, I'm going to have to start killing people again. Is that what you want, Isabella? Do you want me to start killing everyone you love? It looks as though you've made quite a lot of friends since moving here...I'd hate for anyone else to get hurt."

"_No_!"I tried to scream, but he held his hand firmly over my mouth, his other hand now drifting to my chest. I tried to use every move that I knew, every move that I'd been trained to perform flawlessly, but they didn't work as the man held me in a death grip. I fought the urge to vomit as he cupped one hand over my breast, kneading it as he breathed down my neck.

"When you're ready to accept the fact that you belong to me...you'll know where to find me. Come alone. I'll be waiting," he whispered, in a unstably pleasant voice. And then he was gone, disappearing into the shadows, leaving only the lingering smell of stale cigarettes behind.

I fell to my knees, gasping for air, praying for sobriety, cursing myself for all the drinks that I had consumed. As I sat on the floor I heard a horrific scream breaking over the sound of hip hop music. _No, please not my friends! Please, Lord, don't let him have hurt my friends!_ I struggled to my feet, swaying in the dark, stumbling out of the hallway and into the club. Tia stood at the door that led into the alley, her face frozen in shock. She turned to me, gesturing wildly as I ran unsteadily towards her. She pointing out into the alley and I slowly slid through the door, Tia pressed closely behind me.

Standing in the alley was not James, but Carmen, her body still shrouded in the black grim reaper's robe. In one hand she held the lantern with the flameless candle flickering away. In the other hand she held a broken bottle, the jagged edges coated in thick, red blood. A man lay on the ground below her, blood gushing out of a large gash that sliced across his forehead. His white gown billowed out around him, and he looked as though he were simply sleeping, his eyes closed and a peaceful look on his face.

"Oh my God!" I gasped, staring at Carmen in shock. "Drunk Jesus is dead!"

**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK (;**


	10. Chapter 10: Gangsta White Girl

**A/N: THIS CHAPTER IS FOR A DEDICATED REVIEWER WHO HAS A TENDENCY TO EXPRESS EXTREME AMOUNTS OF VIOLENCE IN ABOUT 90% OF HER REVIEWS...A GIRL AFTER MY OWN HEART! ****FROSTEDGLAZE****, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU ;)**

_Previously, in Chapter Nine..._

_Standing in the alley was not James, but Carmen, her body still shrouded in the black grim reaper's robe. In one hand she held the lantern with the flameless candle flickering away. In the other hand she held a broken bottle, the jagged edges coated in thick, red blood. A man lay on the ground below her, blood gushing out of a large gash that sliced across his forehead. His white gown billowed out around him, and he looked as though he were simply sleeping, his eyes closed and a peaceful look on his face. _

_"Oh my God!" I gasped, staring at Carmen in shock. "Drunk Jesus is dead!"_

**CHAPTER TEN: THE MOST GANGSTA WHITE GIRL I KNOW**

_You don't need a girl like me_

_I've got bruises you can't see_

_And when the lights go out_

_I won't be around_

_You don't need a girl like me_

_Girl Like Me - Miranda Lambert_

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Carmen asked as I stared up at her from beside the bleeding man. Her face was lost in a sea of darkness beneath the hood of her black robe. "I didn't kill him! I came out here for a smoke and found him like this!"

I felt of the man's neck for a pulse, sighing in relief when the weak, yet steady rhythm of his heartbeat pulsed beneath my fingers. "He's alive," I said, glancing up at my friends briefly, just as I heard the man moan softly, rolling his head to one side.

"Should we call the cops?" Tia asked, glancing up and down the alley worriedly. "Or an ambulance?"

"Don't call anyone," the man rasped, his kind eyes fluttering open and meeting my worried ones. "Please don't call anyone," he repeated, a tinge of panic in his voice, a panic that only someone like myself could understand without question.

"Let me get a good look at your head wound," I replied, momentarily ignoring his plea, brushing his hair from his forehead to get a better look at the gash. "If it's too deep it may need stitches and you will have to go to the hospital to have that done. Will one of y'all get me something to clean this wound with?" I asked my two friends. Tia nodded, turned and disappeared into the club, the throwback 90's music pumping loudly into the alley as she opened the door, quickly turning into a muffled thud as the door closed behind her.

"I was in the alley drinking earlier and a man walked down the alley, trying to get through that door," Drunk Jesus explained, staring at me gravely before pointing at the door on the side of the club. "I told him that he needed to stop trying to sneak in without paying...he didn't see me when he tried to get through the door. When I spoke up, he saw me sitting near the dumpster...he grabbed the bottle from my hand. When I stood up, he smashed the end of the bottle against the brick wall and came at me with it. That's all I remember..."

"What did he look like?" I asked, my throat tight.

"Average height...average weight...middle-aged...long, greasy blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. It was too dark to see his eye color...he was wearing dark clothes. That's all I really remember," the older man responded, struggling to sit up.

_"James..." _I told myself, feeling incredibly guilty, swallowing thickly. I held his arm as he sat up, trying to steady him. Tia finally returned, a first aid kit in her hand. I took out the supplies, slipped on a pair of gloves and cleaned the cut as well as I could, relieved to see that the wound was not nearly as deep as I previously assumed. Taking small, adhesive strips, I pulled the edges of the wound as closely together as I could to ensure proper healing and decreased chances of infection and scarring. The man smiled kindly at me as I offered to take him to the hospital, and politely declined my request. Carmen and I assisted him to his feet. He was slightly unsteady, but it was hard to tell if it was because of his head injury or the simple fact that he was slightly intoxicated. Wobbling, he gave us a shaky wave before slipping quietly down the alley, disappearing around the corner of the building.

It was my fault James attacked this man in this dirty alley, alone with no one to defend him. If James weren't after me, he would have never ran into Drunk Jesus, who had been quietly minding his own business sitting next to the dumpster. How many people would James hurt trying to get to me? Would the next person die? I thought momentarily of my Uncle Peter. James had taken his life years ago. He was a sick, crazy man, but he didn't deserve to die the way he did. He needed help for his mental problems...not murdered in cold blood. Would that be the same fate of the rest of my family and friends? The whole point of me running from home and hiding, was not only to protect myself, but to protect the ones I loved by distancing myself. I had foolishly thought that if I were not around, their lives could go on, hopefully somewhat normally. Now it seems as though the problems I tried so desperately to run from had caught up with me and the only thing different was the fact that new, innocent people are becoming involved in my horrific situation. I had to figure out a solution without causing anyone I loved to get hurt. I paced the alley, any shadow catching my eye, causing a knot of panic to form in my throat as I racked my brain for a solution.

"Okay, time for you to come clean, Swan," Tia said, breaking the only sound coming from the alley, which was the clicking of my boots against the pavement. I paused at her words, trying to process them through my jumbled thoughts and emotions. "Carmen and I were going out for a smoke when we saw a man run from the hallway and out of this door," she clarified, pointing at the door. "Carmen ran to the door, being all pale and naturally curious as you white folks tend to be. When I heard her scream I peeped out the door, against my better judgement, and found her standing there next to the drunk man. I turned to get help and noticed you stumbling out of the hallway...the very same hallway Drunk Jesus's attacker ran from. What's going on, Swan? Do you know who attacked Drunk Jesus? Did he hurt you too?"

Running my fingers through my long hair, I stared at my friends. Tia stood with her arms crossed watching me with her critical, dark eyes and Carmen, whose hood had since fallen back on her small shoulders, stared at me morosely, her brown bob framing her narrow face. These girls were my friends, and I owed them an explanation.

"Yes," I responded, blowing out a gust of breath that I didn't know I was holding. "I do know him. His name is James. He's someone I have known since I was a little girl. He came here to warn me...that if I don't...turn myself over to him, he will hurt the people I love. I've gotta do something...I just don't know what." I began pacing again, pulling at my hair, thinking momentarily of Edward and how he habitually yanked at his hair when he became angry or stressed out.

"What do you mean by 'turn myself over to him'?" Carmen asked, her hazel eyes gazing at my brown ones in confusion. I took another deep breath and replied, "He wants me. That's it. He told me I would know where to find him...which I don't...but I will, because I'm going to do everything in my power to end this. I have to end this. I don't know how, but I_ will _end this!"

"Is he some kind of...stalker or something?" Tia asked quietly.

"Yes! He's a freaking stalker, okay?" I snapped, taking out my frustration unfairly on the ones I loved. "He kidnapped me when I was a kid...If Emmett and Jasper hadn't found me back then, well, I'd be dead now. It wasn't supposed to be like this! I took years of therapy...and it helped me so much. He went to prison! I started functioning as a normal person again after that. But he escaped a few years ago...I've been on the run ever since. Somehow he's found me. He pulled me into the hallway earlier, threatened me and...touched me...He's obsessed with me! This is never going to end, is it? This is never going to end." I began rambling and mumbling, more to myself than my friends as I continued to pace back and forth in the alley. Think, Bella! What can I do? What can I _do_?

Carmen and Tia glanced at one another worriedly, before returning their gaze to me. I stopped in my tracks, spinning around on my heel, pointed a finger between the two of them and hissed,"Do not tell anyone about James. You never saw him...we didn't find Drunk Jesus in the alley. None of this ever happened, got it?"

Carmen hesitated, and then replied, "Bella, don't you think it's best for us to tell your brother? What if he comes back and takes you? I can't live with that kind of guilt! If you don't want us to tell Emmett, at least let us tell Edward. He's a powerful m..." I cut her off before she could end her sentence.

"Edward is the very last person that needs to know," I whispered, loving my brother very much, but the very idea that Edward could be harmed by James caused my body to freeze in terror. Edward was the only man who I ever had romantic feelings for, the only man I ever imagined being with...and I'd be damned before I allowed him to suffer at the hands of that psycho.

"So, what are you going to do?" Carmen asked curiously, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and peering at me as I started pacing again.

The sounds of police sirens and drunken laughter drifted down the alley from the street, but it barely registered as I began to formulate a plan. Was it a stable plan? No. It was a completely idiotic, poorly calculated plan, but it was the only one I had, and I would have to take a chance. I was tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of looking over my shoulder, and tired of being scared the majority of the time. I was sick and tired of being _sick and tired_. It was time to take my life back...time to finally have a life of my own, a life without James Hunter in it.

"Go back in...act like everything is normal. If anyone asks, tell them I'm outside getting some air. Do not tell anyone what happened okay? I've got an idea..." I replied, digging around in the stupid chaps for my phone. Yanking it out, I scrolled through my contacts until I found the one I needed, pressing my finger against the screen, highlighting the number. I looked up, surprised to see my friends still standing there watching me.

"We're not going anywhere. You either tell us what you're going to do or we're going to Emmett," Carmen said in an unnaturally strong tone, watching me with unwavering eyes. Tia glanced at her and then me uncertainly.

"Fine," I snapped, throwing my hands up in frustration. "It's time to get a gun, okay? I need something to protect myself until I figure out where to find James. I need a gun that can't be traced back to me because after I figure out where James is, I'm going to hunt the bastard down. Is that what you want to hear? Do you want to be a part of that? I don't think so. Go back in and don't worry about me."

The two of them continued to watch me worriedly, before Carmen sighed, ran her fingers through her hair and said, "I'm in. Whatever your plan, count me in. If not...then I'm telling Emmett. You're not going through this alone. A true friend wouldn't let you go through it alone." She gave Tia a pointed look.

Tia, groaned, and rubbed her forehead, muttering,"I can't believe I'm even saying this, but count me in too. I've been hanging around you pale faces too long. I'm starting to do some really stupid crap."

I tried to argue with them, but they wouldn't listen. Carmen slipped into the building with the intent to let anyone looking for us know that we were outside getting some fresh air. She slipped back out into the alley quietly and the two of them watched as I pressed the screen, calling someone I met when I first moved to Memphis. He would be awake, and he wouldn't be far away. He answered the phone in a gruff voice and listened without interrupting as I explained what I needed in a whisper. We ended the call and I leaned against the building, crossing my arms over my chest, trying to warm my body against the coolness of the air.

"Are y'all really going to stay out here the entire time?" I asked, to which they simply glanced at one another and nodded in response. Sighing, I let my gaze wander to the entrance of the alley into the street, waiting somewhat impatiently on my friend. Within several minutes, I recognized his familiar shape as he entered the alley.

Legless Willie Curtiss rolled silently into the alley in his small wheelchair, stopping less than a foot away from me. His dark skin wrinkled with age, his taut face framed by his long, straight black hair. His deep, brown eyes sparkled as he peered up at me, the gold in his few remaining teeth glinting beneath a pale light suspended above me in the alley. Willie wore a navy track suit, the pant legs pinned below the stumps where his missing limbs once were. He grinned up at me as I gave him a somber smile.

"You muss be in some sho' 'nuff trouble, gal," he said, glancing at my two friends who stared at us curiously.

"I am, Willie. I'm in some real bad trouble. I'm cashing in that IOU you gave me awhile back. I need help, Willie, and I knew you were just the man to call," I explained, trying to butter him up, watching his face as a range of expressions passed across it.

He pursed his lips, looking at me thoughtfully. "What you need, child? I'll do what I can. I can't make no guarantees."

"I need a gun, Willie. There's someone after me, trying to hurt me and my friends," I explained, gesturing at my two friends, who he peered at carefully. "I need something to protect myself, something that can't be traced back to me, or anyone else."

"Gal, I don't sell nothin' like that," he scolded me, rolling his wheelchair back slightly. "I sell watches, clothes, movies...I don't sell what you lookin' for."

He was nervous; that was obvious. He didn't know Carmen and Tia well enough to trust them. Willie's gaze drifted from me to Tia and Carmen as he backed up the alley. When I first moved to Memphis, I met Willie pedalling his bootleg items on the street. I never bought anything, but gave him some of my tip money on occasion. It didn't take me long to notice how frail and weak he was; how malnourished he became over time. I started taking leftover food from work, the stuff that Fred would have thrown out, leaving it with Willie as I passed him on the street while on my way home. He confessed to me one night that sometimes the food I gave him was the only meal he ate. Since then, I hadn't seen Willie much. His sister took him into her home and helped care for him shortly after his confession to me, but not before he gave me a number to call if I ever needed his help. I continued to see him on Beale Street pedalling his items from time to time, but he looked much healthier and happier now. I knew Willie had connections; it was well-known on the street that if you needed something, anything, Legless Willie Curtiss had the hook up.

"Thanks anyway, Willie," I muttered, sliding down the brick wall until I was sitting on the ground.

Placing my face in my hands, I sighed in defeat. It couldn't be hard to find an untraceable gun in Memphis...people were murdered here on a daily basis! The only people I knew personally who owned weapons here were Edward, possibly Jacob Black, and my brother was probably packing as well, although I'm sure he wasn't supposed to be due to his probation status. As I continued to ponder over my options, I heard someone clear their throat. Shockingly, I glanced up to see Willie still sitting nearby, watching me sadly.

"I got a relative...my nephew. He's got what you lookin' for," Willie said. "For the right price," he added, digging around in his pocket. He removed an older, slightly worn cell phone which he flipped open. After pressing a button, he sat in the wheelchair, watching Tia and Carmen's faces warily as he made the call. He spoke to someone briefly, in hushed tones before quickly shutting the phone.

"He wanna meet you," he announced, shoving the phone into the pocket of his track suit. "Four o'clock, tomorrow. He said I can give you his address. He meets you first, then you get the piece. He's not as trusting as me. Doesn't wanna sell to a cop. He probably won't have it when you get there. He usually meets people in a second location to give them what they purchased."

"That's understandable," I mused out loud, getting dirty looks from Tia and Carmen. "Okay, give me his info so I can save it in my phone. I'll be there at four o'clock on the dot."

Willie called out the address to me, my finger pausing over the screen of the phone before shakily pressing in the address. He wished me luck, rolled out of the alley and disappeared. Tia and Carmen proceeded to freak out.

"That's in _Orange Mound_, Bella!" Tia hissed, glancing up the alley to make sure Willie had moved far enough away not to hear her. "You're not going to Orange Mound! You might not make it out alive!"

"You don't think I know that? I'm not from Memphis, but I do know where the ghettos are," I sighed, standing up from where I'd sat, shoving the phone back into my chaps.

"Yeah, but we're talking about _Orange Mound_," Carmen stressed, picking up her abandoned lantern from the ground. "It's the worst hood in Memphis. Are you sure it's worth the risk? Forget his nephew. I know a man who can help you. His nickname is 'The Cleaner'. He 'cleans up your problems' if you know what I mean." Carmen began raising her eyebrows up and down and staring at me suggestively.

"Okay, bitch. I want to know how you know a man named 'The Cleaner'," Tia said, rolling her eyes at Carmen.

"I had a life before I met you..." Carmen whispered dramatically, pulling the hood of her costume over her head, the flameless candle casting eery shadows across her face beneath the hood.

"Okay, this conversation has officially gotten weird, and I think we need to change the direction of the conversation before Carmen has me hiring hitmen she met off Craigslist," I said, brushing dirt off the back of my chaps and then pointing at the door to the club. "When we walk through that doorway, we're going to forget what happened tonight. We're going to forget about James, about me going to Orange Mound tomorrow, and about the fact that I'm probably not going to make it back alive." I tried to smile, but it felt as though it didn't reach my face. "Y'all are not to say anything to Emmett or Edward, okay?"

"What about the video?" Carmen asked, watching me curiously.

"What video?" I asked, my brow wrinkled in confusion.

She said nothing, but pointed up, the long sleeve of her robe hanging down off her arm. My eyes travelled in the direction of where she was pointing, and I simultaneously felt my heart stop and my stomach drop, because, perched on the side of _Fate_ was a small security camera...pointing straight at us.

"Crap," I muttered, rubbing my forehead in frustration. Great! Another thing to worry about! "When do you think Edward looks at the footage? How long does the footage stay recorded? Where do you think he keeps the footage?" I asked, pacing again.

"Calm down," Tia snapped, rolling her eyes. "Usually security footage loops and records over itself. I don't know how often, but you probably got a day or two."

"I bet they're infrared, only the best...I saw them inside," Carmen whispered, staring up at the camera worriedly. "The ones inside probably recorded James grabbing you...what are you going to do if Edward sees that? It's not hard to tell that he's got a thing for you, and damn that man has a quick temper and a short fuse! He'll probably try to hunt that James man down and kill him with his bare hands! Maybe he _should_ see the video recordings!"

"No," I argued. "Let's get inside. We've been gone way too long. Don't say anything about what went on. I'm going to find the security monitors and try to figure out how to get erase the recordings. Just go in and try to act normal." My friends hesitantly agreed, and quickly shuffled inside the building. I lingered behind, staring up at the camera that pointed directly at me.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed to the camera, feeling incredibly sad. My lip trembled slightly as I entered the club behind my two friends.

James' return, an injured Drunk Jesus, Legless Willie, I left it all in the alley, just as I told my girls I would do. If everyone was drunk when I slipped outside, they were now completely wasted. Alice and Emmett were now on the dance floor as Alice tried to teach Emmett the Peta Griffin. Emmett was having a hard time grasping the concept, but he had the Cat Daddy down pat, and began to Cat Daddy all over the dance floor, looking like some kind of handicapped oversized hot dog rolling around in an invisible wheelchair. Rose had returned to the bar, glaring across the room at Tanya and Edward, who was still yelling at the dense blonde. Tyler, Jessica, Lauren, Laurent and Victoria danced around Emmett, howling in laughter at his antics, Laurent dancing provocatively near him, possibly a little too close for comfort. Rose threw back another shot, hiccuping as I sided up beside her.

"Where have you been?" she muttered pathetically, shooting Tia a dirty look.

Tia simply raised one eyebrow and joined the rest of the kids out on the dance floor. The speakers started blasting "Funky Cold Medina" to which Emmett began hooting and hollering, jumping up and down like an idiot, the felt wiener flopping around like some weird Sesame Street porn. His eyes lit up as he noticed Tia and Carmen returning to the dance floor, before grabbing Carmen by her waist and assaulting her from behind with the big red weenie, grinding it against her rear as she burst into laughter.

"We just went to get some fresh air...you know Emmett's just goofing around, right?" I asked, plopping next to her at the bar, studiously ignoring the dark hallway across the room where James had assaulted me.

"Yeah, whatever. It's not like I'm into him or anything," Rose laughed bitterly, her mascara slightly smeared beneath her eyes, somehow making her even sexier than normal. If that were me I'd just look like a racoon. "I mean, he's funny and all...he makes me laugh like no one else...and he's sweet...and he loves kids...and makes me feel special...and makes me happy...but..."

"Yeah, hon," I laughed, pouring myself another Jager, against my better judgement. "It doesn't sound like you're into him _at all_."

"I know! I'm pathetic!" she moaned, glancing across the room at my big dweeb of a brother. "I should be like Edward and just tell my father off! Tell him I'm gonna be with who I wanna be with no matter what, and just move out, just like Edward did! Hell, I'm a grown woman! Why am I still living at home anyway? I'll tell you why, cause parents like we have, they suck you in, make you feel like you owe them something, like they own you! They make you feel dependent on them, always working to make them happy, which they never are, by the way! It's pathetic. I'm so tired of it all...so tired."

"Wait, back up," I said, baffled. "What do you mean, about what you said about Edward?"

Rose giggled, patting me on the head like a small child. "Silly Bella! Edward has lived in a house next to his parents for many years, until a few days ago. He and Carlisle had it out, over you, and he moved. Didn't Alice tell you? He told Carlisle about his feelings for you...Carlisle disapproved, and he moved on. Told him he didn't care if you weren't rich, Irish or Catholic. It's as simple as that. I wish I could do that...I wish I were that strong," she murmured, her eyes becoming slightly droopy.

Edward told his father he had feelings for me...and left upon his father's disapproval? I stared across the room at Edward as he continued to argue with Tanya, pointing at the door as she crossed her arms and shook her head. Maybe Alice was right...maybe he was sorry for the idiotic things that he said. He obviously had put his foot down, as far as his father was concerned. Maybe he'd come to his senses...

Rose started snorting, pointing at Edward and Tanya as they argued. "I hate that girl!" she exclaimed, giggling hysterically. "She slept with my high school boyfriend! He was the first guy I fell in love with! I've always wanted to wring her neck!"

"You guys knew each other back then and she slept with your boyfriend?" I asked, perturbed. "Did she know he was dating you?"

"Did she know?" Rose repeated, laughing and throwing her head back, her shiny hair bouncing. "Of course she knew! She was my best friend back then! I loved that boy...Gah, she's always been a slut. She cheated on Edward the entire time they dated."

Suddenly, I heard the words 'poor white trash' and 'redneck' being screamed across the bar. Glancing up in surprise, I froze as Tanya herself yelled at Edward, pointing across the bar at me with one skinny little finger, his eyes drifting to me momentarily, apologetic. Was this girl calling me..._white trash_?

"The only reason he won't throw her out is because he's trying to keep the peace somewhat with his father," Rose explained, taking in my angry expression. "Someone should really put that wench in her place..." Rose was trying to goad me, pushing my buttons. "You know she's got no right to call you that stuff. Edward said her family is broke. They're wanting her to marry into the Cullen's to help their financial situation, greedy bastards that they are. That's why she won't back down. She'll do anything in her power to sink her claws into him."

The more I drank, the madder I got. As any true southerner would say, I was fit to be tied. All the horror, frustration and worry that I experienced earlier began to form something ugly...the ugly, dark, sinister monster of anger, which was completely taking over my body. My face became hotter and hotter the longer I watched the skank pawing at my man. _My man_? Hell, yeah that was my man! I might be poor white trash, but that was _my man_! The hot alcohol churning through my system made me acutely aware of all the emotions that devoured me. Somehow, through the hazy fog of hate I had drifted in, I met Carmen's eyes across the room. She glanced from me to Tanya, a wicked grin crossing her face as she slid behind the DJ booth.

A familiar tune began playing from the speakers, causing a few to cheer but most to groan. I narrowed my eyes at Carmen, who smirked in response, nodding her grim reaper head across the room at Tanya, who was trying desperately trying to press her body against a scowling Edward. Carmen, obviously, knew how to push my buttons way better than Rose ever could, by playing a song by one of my favorite artists, encouraging me with every line.

_"I watched her for awhile but I didn't like her walk. She came across kinda cheap to me but hey, how's that my fault? She looked at my man like he didn't have on a stitch. Somebody tell that girl to step up to the plate I wanna pitch. Little bitch,"_Miranda Lambert crooned from the speakers.

Tanya was now rubbing her hand up and down Edward's arm as he glared down at her. His eyes roamed the room, falling on mine, and I swear he looked a little scared upon seeing the expression on my face. Tanya followed Edward's gaze, meeting my eyes with a vengeful expression.

And that's when the crazy bitch turned, grabbed his face, and tried to press her nasty, cheating, gold digging, hussy mouth against his. Edward effectively dodged her, his face growing red as he pushed her roughly away. It didn't deter her...she sprug at him again, and the lyrics consumed me.

_"I started throwing things and I scared folks half to death. I got up in his face and smelled whiskey on his breath. I didn't give a second thought to being thrown in jail, cause baby to a hammer everything looks like a nail. And I'm mad as hell. Well, them pretty girls they're all the same, but they're damn well gonna know my name. I'm a crazy ex-girlfriend..."_Miranda sang.

I slid from the bar stool, glaring across the bar at the crazy woman throwing herself at my man. _My_ man! Edward's eyes met mine once again, and for the first time I saw true terror in Edward Cullen's eyes as I launched myself across the bar, screaming obscenities in my hooker cowgirl outfit, knocking chairs and bar stools over in my wake, before jumping on the skinny girl's back. She shrieked in horror, so absorbed with getting Edward's attention that she didn't hear me coming. Grabbing her hair, I twisted it harshly in my hands, taking out all my aggression from James, from my situation, from her harsh words, out on her expensive blonde locks.

"I told you that wasn't her real hair!" I heard Tia exclaim as I yanked out a handful of Tanya's two thousand dollar extensions, throwing it over my shoulder as she screamed in pain.

"Pay up, Yankee!" Tia demanded.

Carmen grumbled in response to her exclamation and my brother tore across the dance floor, grabbing me by my waist trying to pull me from Tanya as she screamed and cried. I kicked and twisted in his arms, trying to break away from his grasp. Edward had his hands around Tanya's waist, pulling her away as well, and when Emmett finally yanked me from her back, it sent her tumbling into Edward, causing them to fall to the ground in an awkward position that made me see red.

I continued to scream obscenities at her, calling her everything but a child of God, as she lay on top of Edward crying, tangled clumps of fake hair dangling from her head. I yelled ridiculous things, the alcohol and my anger fueling me on. I told her I swore on my mother's grave I'd kill her if I ever saw her touch _my man _again. Then I pulled a toy pistol from my holster, aiming it at her head sideways...gangsta style...and pulling the trigger over and over, the gun making a loud plastic clicking sound. Rolling off Edward, she scooted across the floor on her rump staring at me with wide eyes, creeping closer to the door. Emmett let me go as I swore I wouldn't kill the girl, only to launch myself at her again as soon as he dropped his hands. He effectively yanked me back, his red felt wiener poking awkwardly into my back. Alice stood on the sidelines, clapping and cheering, jumping up and down, the fish, quotes and woodland creatures tattooed to her chest and arms glowing under the strobe lights, moving as though they were alive.

"Bellarina, calm down!" Emmett demanded, dragging me across the club and down the fated hallway.

My throat began to tighten in panic from being in the same hallway where _he_ had been. Emmett tried to open Edward's office door only to find it locked, obviously. He yanked me into the kitchen, placing his hands on my shoulders and staring at me, his eyes wide with excitement and humor, stupid idiot.

"Bella Swan, the most gangsta white girl I know," Emmett cracked, glancing down the hallway as Edward stalked into the room, running his hands through his hair. His eyes scanned my body nervously, checking for invisible injuries as Emmett watched him, a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey, Eddie," he said, giving Edward a huge smile. "You sure you can handle my sister here? She can be a pistol," he joked, nudging the plastic gun dangling from my hip. I scowled at him, crossing my arms across my chest and glaring at the two men.

"Where's that hussy at?" I snapped at Edward, causing him to jump slightly, much to my pleasure. I couldn't help the small, evil smile that crept to my face.

"She's gone," he responded, looking relieved. "I tried to get rid of her all night. My father invited her...it was in no way my idea for her to show up tonight. I tried to be civil, because of the relationship between her family and mine, but she makes it impossible to be civil." It was then that I noticed the large bulge in his pants that he tried to hide as he attempted to avoid my eyes. Emmett apparently noticed it as well, as he began smirking between the two of us.

"Wow, Eddie. Pistol Bella gets your motor running, huh? I'm gonna let y'all...talk...get your freak on, you know. Whatever," he announced, stretching his arms and popping his neck. "You're got two hours before I come looking for you." And then my giant wiener of a brother sauntered down the hallway, entered the main area of the club and yelled, "I'm back, bitches!" I heard a chorus of feminine cheers, Laurent included, followed by laughter. Emmett was probably doing the robot by now. The silence in the room as Edward and I stood awkwardly trying to avoid one another's eyes was deafening.

"I heard you moved," I blurted out, breaking the silence. He looked up, frowning at me slightly.

"Yeah, I moved. And I owe you an apology," he muttered, glancing up at me guiltily. "The things I said to you, in your apartment. Well, that was the musings of a weak man, trying to please his father, please himself. I put you last. But I swear on my life, Bella, I will never do that again. You will always be first. You deserve to be first in this life, and if you will allow me, I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens from now on." I watched his nervous gaze, his eyes apologetic and full of remorse. I believed him. He wasn't lying. I believed him.

"So you admit that marrying someone else and keeping me on the side wasn't your smartest idea?" I asked, smirking as I watched him shuffle awkwardly on his feet.

"I was an idiot, Bella. I'm so sorry if I made you feel dirty and used. I swear I will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you," he vowed, walking up to me and stroking the side of my face with his thumb, cupping his hand behind my neck as he stared into my dark eyes with his deep green ones. "I want to be with you and only you. That's what I told my father. It doesn't matter what he thinks anymore. If he decides to leave the family business for someone else, someone he thinks is more worthy, then so be it."

"I forgive you," I whispered. This could be the last time I would ever see Edward; the last time we would be together. Leaving him with anger and bitterness in my heart was unacceptable. I would accept him, flaws and all.

"Would you like to see my new place?" he asked, his eyes gleaming and a wicked smile on his face.

"What, now? It's the middle of the night!" I asked in confusion, eliciting a dark chuckle from Edward's mouth.

"Come on," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him. "It's not far."

"Let me grab my coat," I said.

He tried to argue with me, telling me for some reason that I wouldn't need it, but I tuned him out, slipping into the employee lounge and grabbing my coat, wrapping it closely around me. I met him back in the hallway, where he wrapped one arm around my shoulders, leading me out into the main area of the club. Catcalls and whistles sounded out across the club, and I glanced around. My friends were all snickering, whispering to one another and laughing as I rolled my eyes. Emmett pointed at Edward and I before thrusting his pelvis in the air, pumping his arms at each side, as though having sex with an invisible person, causing our friends and coworkers to erupt in hysterical laughter.

Edward pulled me to the stairwell that led to the second floor, which was normally used for storage. I stopped at the base of the stairs, staring up at him in confusion as he pulled at my hand. He looked down at me, his eyebrows wrinkled at my frozen stance.

"I thought you wanted to see my new place..." he said, squeezing my hand tightly, nodding up the stairwell.

"You're living over the club," I whispered, recognition setting in.

Edward nodded, and I followed him the rest of the way up the stairs, holding his hand firmly the whole time. When we reached the top of the stairwell, he dropped my hand long enough to reach into the pocket of his suit, removing a large set of keys. Staring at the keys, I noticed each one was engraved with a different name. If I was a betting woman, I'd bet that one of those keys would led me to the security monitors, wherever they may be. He unlocked the door, which held several locks, and returned the keys to his pocket before pushing the door open. He gestured for me to go in first and I did, Edward following closely behind. I gasped at what lay before me.

The dingy old storage area had been completely transformed into a dark, sexy loft. The red brick walls remained, although now clean and free from grim and cobwebs. Deep brown, shiny wood furniture graced the room with small, glowing candles placed on tables and shelves. One wall held a giant bookshelf, crammed full of literature, photos, knickknacks and candles. The kitchen area was full of sparkling, silver appliances and was blocked off by a long, black bar. There was an old, white, clawfoot bathtub in one corner of the room, near what I supposed was an actual restroom door. The tub stood in front of a large window overlooking Beale street below. Large stone pillars surrounded the tub, holding thick, unlit candles. A soft, red towel lay thoughtlessly abandoned across one side of the tub.

Edward strolled around the loft, chatting about the furniture, pointing out the sitting area and his large television, which perched on a beautiful entertainment center. He pointed at his office, located in a room off the main area of the loft and I vaguely wondered if the security monitors were located there, but, as much as he chatted, my mind didn't completely process what he rambled on about. My attention was focused on the center of the room, for that's where the massive, intimidating bed sat. The bed was huge, covered in thick, soft red bedding that a person could get lost in. An image of me curled next to Edward in that bed flowed through my mind, and I found my body zinging with that familiar current that only Edward could arise within me.

Edward was oblivious to where my attention lay as he continued to chat away. This could be the very last time I saw Edward. Later today I would drive to Orange Mound, one, if not _the_, most dangerous ghetto in Memphis. I had to make my time with him count, showing rather than telling him my true affection for him. Taking a deep breath, I prayed that I would not cry...would not take my time spent with Edward for granted. Walking over to where he stood, I wrapped my arms around his waist, leaned up and whispered in his ear, "Make love to me, Edward."

He sucked in a sharp breath, pushing me back, looking into my eyes hesitantly, his mouth drawn into a frown.

"You're drunk, Bella," he scolded, the battle waging in his eyes. "It's the alcohol talking. I'm not taking advantage of you while you're drunk."

"I've been drinking," I admitted, pulling him closer to me. "But I'm not drunk. The past hour has sobered me up quite a bit."

He continued to look at me with trepidation. "I don't have any protection," he admitted, brushing a lock of hair from my eyes. "I haven't had sex in a very long time and I'm not the kind of guy that carries a condom around in case of a one night stand."

"But what about Tanya?" I asked. "You just broke up with her a few weeks ago...is that 'a very long time'?"

Edward laughed bitterly, pulling away from me and walking over to a window, staring down at the street below us. "I can't believe you're bringing her up. No, I haven't slept with anyone in a very long time. A least a year now." He turned his head, meeting my surprised gaze. "And I never slept with Tanya. We dated, but I could never bring myself to be with her...knowing she was just using me for money and her own social status. She's easy access to all of Memphis, but not for Edward Cullen."

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I had always looked at Edward and assumed that he was a very sexual person, although the thought of him being with anyone sent a painful, twisting sensation through my heart. But to find out that he never slept with that skank Tanya, and hadn't had sex in at least a year...well, the relief I felt was overwhelming.

"I'm clean," I whispered as he watched me silently. "And I'm on birth control...to regulate my period. As long as you're clean, I want to be with you." He gazed at me for a long moment before turning his eyes towards the window again, looking at the street below quietly. Hmmm...looks like I was going to have to work for it a bit.

Mustering up all the strength within me, I sauntered over to the sitting area, letting my coat slide from my body, before draping it over the back of his leather couch. Glancing over one shoulder, I watched as his attention left the window, his eyes lingering on my cowgirl outfit, a dangerous, predatory look in his eyes.

"Do you like what you see, Mr. Cullen?" I purred demurely, thankful for the liquid encouragement that I'd consumed earlier in the night. If not for that, I might not have the guts to do what I was planning on doing.

Slowly, I began unbuttoning the small vest that covered my red bra. Edward's gaze intensified, as he watched my shaky hands remove the vest, which I tossed to him. He caught it easily, dropping it onto a chair next to him, swallowing hard as he watched me slowly twirl around, giving him a good view.

"I love what I see," he murmured, slowly crossing the room.

He placed his hand on the back of my neck, pulling my face to his as he captured my mouth with his own. Edward's hot tongue slid between my lips, meeting mine as they danced together. I felt his hand drift into my hair and he gave it a firm, yet gentle pull, effectively breaking the kiss as he pulled my head back, staring down into my bewildered eyes.

"You were a bad girl tonight," he whispered, a sexy yet evil glint in his eyes. "Cursing, fighting, disrespecting my father." He pulled my hair a little tighter, causing a painful, yet pleased moan escape my mouth.

"Do you like it when I pull your hair baby?" he asked, using my hair to pull my head to the side, licking my neck from the collarbone up to my ear.

He sucked my earlobe into his mouth, nibbling and licking away. I moaned as the torturous throbbing began between my legs. Trying to ease the torment, I rubbed my thighs together, the friction making it worse instead of better. Edward scolded me sternly.

"Keep you legs apart," he whispered, causing me to gasp as his hand drifted between my thighs, nudging them apart, his thumb brushing softly across the fabric between my legs. I moaned as he snickered and said, "Are you throbbing, baby? Are you wet for me?"

"It's a shame though...you were such a bad girl tonight. I shouldn't satisfy your urges. I should leave you wet, throbbing, wanting my cock inside of you. Should I do that, baby?" he whispered in my ear, his mouth and nose ghosting across my face. "Should I leave you wet and wanton...or maybe a little punishment is in order?

"Wha...what kind of punishment?" I gasped, as he released my hair and walked away from me, squirming as I watched him stroll over to the liquor cabinet, remove a glass bottle half full of dark liquid, which he poured into a glass and quickly downed. He turned around, leaning against the cabinet, his arms crossed in front of him as his eyes drifted from my boots, up my legs, stopping momentarily on my breasts, before reaching my eyes.

"I think a spanking is in order," he replied, removing his suit jacket and tossing it on the back of the couch with my coat. The large bulge in the front of his pants captured my attention. "What do you think, Ms. Swan? Do you think you deserve a spanking?"

A spanking? _Did_ I want a spanking? The throbbing between my legs intensified, answering the question for me. The red panties I wore became soaked as an image of Edward spanking my ass crossed my mind. My face turned red as I quietly admitted that I deserved and wanted a spanking. He crossed the room quickly, taking my red face in his hands, staring into my eyes, a serious expression on his face.

"I'm not going to hurt you, baby," he murmured, kissing me tenderly. "But if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you have to tell me. Say 'stop' or 'no', okay? I want to make you feel so good, baby. I want you to enjoy the things that I do to you." I nodded, slightly terrified, but mostly thrilled. He gave me wicked, pleased grin, grabbing my hand and leading me to a chair near the window.

"Put you knees on the chair and lean over the back," he commanded, and I obliged, placing both knees on the cushioned seat, spreading my legs as wide as I could. The street below me was slightly deserted, but an occasional drunk pedestrian stumbled down the sidewalk. My body tensed as I realized that if I could see them, they could see me.

Edward, noticing my hesitation, quietly whispered in my ear, "It's like a one way mirror, baby. They can't seen anything I'm about to do to you. Although, I wouldn't mind all of Memphis knowing that you're my girl. Mine, and no one else's."

I moaned, wrapping my arms around the back of the chair and leaning over it, I turned my head and watched as Edward unbuttoned his shirt, staring at my red panty clad ass the whole time. His shirt drifted to the floor and I gasped, not at the rippled muscles of his chest and abdomen, but at the large white bandage that clung under his left ribcage.

"What happened?" I asked, momentarily releasing the back of the chair to turn towards him. His eyes darkened as he approached me, and I shrunk back to my original position.

"I knew you were a bad girl. Can't even follow simple directions. Don't worry about the bandage, worry about yourself," he told me in a dark voice.

He began massaging my ass, squeezing firmly for several seconds before releasing it. Then he slapped it, alarmingly close to where I was wet and throbbing for him, causing me to scream out in pleasure. He stroked the area that he hit softly, asking if I was okay. Was I _okay_? I was more than okay.

"Do it again, and again, and again," I moaned, wiggling my butt around.

He paused momentarily, commanding me to stay still the entire time. He was trying to torment me, to make me explode in want. He slapped my ass again and again, stroking it softly after each strike, whispering what a dirty girl I was. It took all my strength not to move each time he touched me, and before long I was begging him to make me come.

I heard the unmistakable sound of a belt being unbuckled, and I snuck a peek to see Edward standing behind me, stroking himself in his boxer briefs as he began stroking my cheeks once again. My heart started pumping anxiously. Turning my head back and closing my eyes, I gasped as I felt him grab my hips and press his erection against my pussy.

"You feel that, baby?" he whispered, grinding himself against me harder as I moaned loudly. "You feel how hard you make me? I've never been so hard in my life." I wanted to grind myself against him, but I didn't since he'd commanded me to remain still.

Suddenly, he reached around and removed the holster from my waist, tossing it in the floor. His fingers drifted below my chaps, a ripping sound filling the room. I gasped in surprise as cool air hit my naked bottom, as Edward ripped my red panties away.

"The chaps stay on," he whispered, his fingers now stroking me between my legs.

Edward captured my small nub between his fingers, pulling and pinching it as I screamed, pressing myself into his fingers, unable to stay still any longer. He stroked me for a long time, causing me to become wetter and wetter with each stroke, until I felt him press one long finger deep inside me. I cried out, clutching the chair tightly, thrusting myself harder and harder against his fingers as he slipped a second finger in. His fingers explored my inner walls, completely filling me, and then he hit something deep inside me that made me gasp, squirm and nearly come undone.

"Did I find your spot, baby?" he asked, plunging his fingers back to the spot over and over, his other hand now massaging my nub.

I moaned louder, feeling myself about to go over the edge. I heard his ragged breathing as he watched his fingers enter my slick walls. His fingers slowed down before leaving me completely, the feeling of emptiness overwhelming. I slumped in the chair, my body still pulsing with desire, the flame not yet extinguished.

"Get on the bed," he commanded, grabbing my hips and removing me from the chair.

I practically ran to the bed, sitting on it awkwardly as he stalked slowly across the room. My eyes constantly drifted to his erection, which was still covered in his underwear, which he stroked the entire time he walked to the bed, causing the blood in my veins to burn.

"You look so damn sexy, sitting on my bed with those chaps on, so pink and swollen from my fingers," he whispered, releasing his cock and reaching out to expertly remove my bra.

My nipples were rock hard with desire, and he cupped each breast in his hands, pinching my nipples between his fingers. I fell back against the bed, wanting his lips on my breasts, but instead, I gasped in shock and I felt his tongue plunge into my wet folds. Edward pressed my legs wide open, sucking and nibbling between my legs as I grasped the red comforter in my hands, moaning and thrusting myself into his mouth, my hips rocking uncontrollably. His fingers pressed deeply within me as he continued to suck and lick.

"You taste so good, just like I imagined," he moaned, standing up from the bed.

I watched as he pulled his boxer briefs down, his cock now springing free. I gasped at the length and girth. It was thick and roped with veins, the head dripping precum. It stood up straight and proud against him, standing at attention. The thought of that...thing inside me caused me simultaneous terror and arousal.

"I'm going to go slow at first," he whispered, stroking his cock as I watched with wide eyes. "Tell me if I hurt you. I promise I'll stop." I nodded and he grabbed a pillow, motioning for me to raise my hips, which I did. He pushed the pillow below my hips and ass, and spread my legs open, stroking me with one hand while he stroked himself.

"Play with you tits, baby," he told me, slipping his fingers deeply into my wet body.

I hesitantly ran my fingers over my breasts, cupping each one, squeezing and flicking my nipples with my fingers. Edward stared down at me with hungry, dark eyes, still stroking me with one hand and himself with the other. The sensation of his fingers inside me and my hands on myself made the wetness to pool between my legs, until Edward was thoroughly satisfied with my state of arousal. I watched with big eyes as he removed his fingers from inside me and pressed the head of his cock against me, running it from my clit to my opening and back again, over and over. I rocked against it, the feeling of pleasure unimaginable.

Eventually, he stopped at my entrance, and slowly began pressing himself inside of me, halting occasionally when an expression of discomfort crept across my face. It was a little painful, at first, but the tremendous amount of pleasure outweighed the pain and before long almost his entire cock was inside me. His forehead beaded with sweat as he fought the urge to pump his cock in and out of me.

He slowly began moving, his hands grasping my legs, and I cried out at the feeling of his thick cock moving in and out of my wet center, the rhythm agonizingly slow. Once my body became accustomed to his cock, I began thrusting myself against him in encouragement, my head falling back against the comforter, my mouth wide from throaty moans. Edward, noticing my encouragement, began thrusting faster, harder. My body bounced back and forth, my breasts jiggling before I cupped them again and met Edward's dark stare. He continued to thrust and moan, watching my fingers as I played with my nipples. I felt an incredible pressure on my clit as he massage my swollen nub with his thumb, pumping himself in and out of me as he massaged. A rolling, tingling, tightening sensation began to quake deep within my belly as he rubbed my clit harder and plunged his cock deeper inside me. Closing my eyes, I gasped as the darkness behind my lids exploded in white light, stars peppering my vision. My body clenched Edward's cock over and over as I felt myself come undone around him, my pussy pulsing around his manhood.

"That felt amazing," he moaned, slamming his hips against my body, a wet smacking sound filling the room. "Your orgasm tightening around me, gripping my cock...that's the best damn thing I've ever felt in my life."

His movements began more erratic as he pumped harder and harder into me, still massaging my now sensitive nub. Edward cried out my name, and I felt he come inside of me, the feeling of his warm liquid spilling into me shockingly satisfying. Edward collapsed on top of me, his mouth sucking the tender flesh of my neck, his cock still deep within me.

"I don't ever want to move," he admitted as I felt his cock begin to soften. "I want to stay inside of you forever," he whispered, his voice incredibly vulnerable. I wrapped my arms around him and clung to him for a long time, until I felt his cock slid out on its own, leaving my insides stinging, yet sated.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly, pulling his face away from my neck to peer into my eyes.

"It stings a little," I admitted, watching as his face fell. "But it's not that bad. The pleasure you gave me made it all worthwhile."

He smiled, capturing my mouth with his own. We lay in the bed kissing, whispering out affection for one another until I couldn't ignore my bladder any longer and asked Edward shyly if I could use his restroom. He walked me to the restroom, still naked, rubbing my slightly sore bottom along the way, giving me a sexy grin as I laughed and shut the door in his face. I relieved myself and cleaned up as well as I could before staring at the woman in the mirror above Edward's sink.

Did she look like she just had sex with the man she loved for the first, possibly last time? Yeah, she did. Her hair looked tousled and her makeup smeared across her small features. I stole some of Edward's mouthwash, swishing it around in my mouth before spitting it in the sink and washing the residue away. It felt as if I were bow-legged as I walked to the door, opened it and practically stumbled back in the loft, to find Edward filling his clawfoot tub with water. He glanced up at me as I entered the room, a sweet smile on his face.

"You can take off your boots and chaps now," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into his arms. "We're going to take a long, hot bath."

And we did. He laid behind me in the tub, his cock quickly hardening as I lay with my back on his chest. Edward washed my body with a soft wash cloth until I was thoroughly cleaned, abandoning the wash cloth on the bottom of the tub. He rubbed my arms, massaged my shoulders and neck, and then his hands drifted to my breasts. I felt his tongue exploring my neck again as he suckled at my flesh. Edward rubbed my breasts, twisting at my nipples as I moaned and reached nervously behind me, finding his manhood and grasping it firmly in my hand, sliding it up and down his length. He let out a shaky breath, one hand drifting down my wet body until he found the bundle of nerves between my legs. He toyed with it gently as I continued to stroke him with my hand. I begged him to put his fingers inside me, but he wouldn't, whispering that he didn't want to cause me any more discomfort than I already felt. We rubbed and stroked each other until we both cried out with our orgasms, our moans along with the sloshing of water, sounding out across the room.

Laying against him, in the tub, with his arms wrapped around me, his lips leaving tender kisses along my neck, I bit my lip to keep from crying. I'd never felt so much love, so much happiness in my life. As we left the tub and he dried me off, I stared down at him, memorizing every feature, just in case it was the last time I ever saw him. He caught my stare, looking up at me quizzically, dropping the towel to the floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling me into his arms. I shook my head, wordlessly, squeezing my eyes shut to prevent the tears from flowing forward. Edward led me to the bed, pulling the covers back. I followed him as he gestured for me to slide into the bed behind him, pressing his naked body firmly to mine as he wrapped the covers around us. He muttered that Emmett could get lost, that I was going nowhere, that he would never let me go. The tears sprung forward, silently running down my cheeks and onto the pillow. His breathing eventually became slow and even, and, after counting to one thousand in my head, I quietly pulled myself from his arms, leaving the bed, watching his mouth form a small pout. His eyes never opened. Gathering my clothes, I slipped them on, all but my ripped panties that I left where they lay. I wrapped my long coat tightly around my body and snuck to the office that Edward had pointed out, happy to find it unlocked as I slipped quietly inside. The room held a fancy desk with a laptop and filing cabinets. No security monitors in sight.

_'The security monitors are locked downstairs in his office,'_ I thought with a sickened by the thought of Edward viewing the footage of James attacking me in the hallway of the club. Slipping silently out of his office, I noticed that Edward had turned toward me in the bed, his eyes still closed, his breathing still deep.

Quiet as a church mouse, I crept closer to him, stroking the side of his face with one trembling finger as the last tear ran down my face. There was no time for crying. It was time to fight. I would do everything in my power to fight for my right to live a normal life with the man who I loved. Would I make it out alive? Maybe...maybe not. The path I chose was one of a martyr. But I wouldn't go out without a fight.

"Goodbye, Edward," I whispered, dropping my finger from his sleeping face. "I'll always love you." I clasped my hand over my mouth to muffle out a broken sob as I shuffled across my lover's loft, unlocking the door and slipping out of the room, completely unaware of his pine green eyes watching me as I left.

**A/N: OKAY, SO I JUST POPPED MY FIRST FANFICTION CHERRY. HOPE IT WASN'T TOO DISAPPOINTING! GO OUTSIDE, SMOKE A CIGGIE, COME BACK IN AND REVIEW. I'M GONNA SMOKE TWO CIGGIES. WELL, MAYBE THREE. **

**OH, AND RL TIA; HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY SINCE YOU TOLD ME THIS WEEKEND, "WHEN ARE THEY FINALLY GONNA F***?"**

**PEACE,**

**JHOOD**


	11. Chapter 11: Elvis Has Left the Building

**A/N: THIS CHAPTER MAY BE A LITTLE SHORTER. I'VE BEEN SICK THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND HAVEN'T LEFT THE BED MUCH. I LOVE THE REVIEWS GUYS, SO KEEP THEM COMING! AT THIS POINT, ****_BREAKAWAY BELLA _****HAS HAD ****10,724 VIEWS ****AND ****180 REVIEWS****!**

**STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS TWILIGHT. I OWN A 'C' IN ENGLISH COMP. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.**

**Rated 'M' for Tia's dirty mouth...**

_Previously, in Chapter Ten..._

_Quiet as a church mouse, I crept closer to him, stroking the side of his face with one trembling finger as the last tear ran down my face. There was no time for crying. It was time to fight. I would do everything in my power to fight for my right to live a normal life with the man who I loved. Would I make it out alive? Maybe...maybe not. The path I chose was one of a martyr. But I wouldn't go out without a fight. _

_"Goodbye, Edward," I whispered, dropping my finger from his sleeping face. "I'll always love you." I clasped my hand over my mouth to muffle out a broken sob as I shuffled across my lover's loft, unlocking the door and slipping out of the room, completely unaware of his pine green eyes watching me as I left._

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING**

I stumbled down the stairway almost slamming into my stepbrother as my foot left the last step.

"I was just about to come up and bust that door down," he joked, although his face was anything but jovial, not noticing my fallen face. "Let's get home...get some sleep." He grabbed my hand, practically dragging me across the almost abandoned club, only Rose and Alice left, who sat at the bar talking quietly to one another. Alice waved at me as we left, a small, sad smile on her face as Emmett pulled me through the front door. Rose never looked up from the bar.

"What's going on?" I asked, squinting against the Tennessee sun as we walked down Beale, Emmett still in the dreaded wiener costume. I glanced tentatively up and down the street for any signs of James, relieved only to see the street practically abandoned.

"My plan didn't work," he muttered, shrugging his felt-covered shoulders.

"What plan?" I asked, staring at his crestfallen face, momentarily pushing my own problems aside.

"My plan to make Rosie crazy jealous," he responded, rubbing his eyes roughly as they watered from the bright sunlight. "I just knew it would work...but it didn't. Now she's just pissed at me. She hates me! I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't even speak to me."

"Oh, Em," I sighed, scolding him gently. "You're not in high school anymore. That stuff doesn't work past grade twelve. You should have just been honest with her and told her how you feel about her. And if telling her doesn't work, show her. Sometimes words just aren't enough. Do something special for her...something that only she can appreciate."

Emmett looked thoughtful for a moment and mumbled a vague response before giving me a sideways glance, a sly smile on his face. "Enough about me...what about you? You look like you've been rode hard and put away wet."

I cringed at his statement, punching him in the ribs as he laughed and clutched his side. He was right; I'm sure I looked like death warmed over. It was odd walking home wrapped in my long coat without my underwear, which Edward had ripped from my body during the early hours in his loft. My face burned at the memory, and I couldn't hide the small smile as it found its way to my face.

Emmett chuckled quietly before announcing, "So my plan for the day is to eat to my heart's content, pass out, and start all over again! What's your plan today, Bellarina?"

"What about your job hunting, Em? Don't you need to stay on that? I'd hate for you to get in trouble with your p.o." I responded, slickly avoiding his questioning of my plans. My plan consisted of a bowl of oatmeal, two over-the-counter sleeping pills, my bed, and then I'm Orange Mound bound.

"I'm gonna ask Eddie boy for a job at the club," he said as we walked up the steps in my apartment building. "He needs some more security in that place. The guys I saw hanging around were more busy flirting with girls than doing their jobs. I doubt he'll turn me down since he's boning my sister now." I groaned at his comment and at the thought of Emmett hanging around the club night after night. He was right though; if Edward had proper security at the club the incident with James wouldn't have happened. I shuddered slightly at the memory. I'd tried so hard to bury his memory all these years.

I unlocked the door of my apartment, prepared a bowl of oatmeal, and watched as my brother shuffled into the bathroom to take a long, hot shower. As I shoveled a mouthful of the warm, maple-syrup flavored concoction in my mouth, I wondered if I was making a mistake by not telling my brother and even Edward about James. I'd always considered myself a selfless person, always doing what was best for others. Was this situation any different, or was I being selfish by taking away their choice to help me in my dismal situation? To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure. In my mind I believed I was doing the right thing by taking care of James myself, protecting my family and friends from an unrelenting monster. And if I died...so be it. It's not that I wanted to die, but there was a great chance of that happening. The chase would then end. James would move on; he wasn't after my brother, my cousin, my friends, my lover...he was only after me. Would people be sad? I'm sure they would, but I'd rather those I love to mourn me, not die themselves!

Yes, I was doing the right thing, I decided. James would follow me to the ends of the earth and back again for the rest of my life. I couldn't live like that. The hiding, the worry, the pain, I done with it all. There would never be a 'normal' life for me until this all ended. When Edward chose me, he fell from his father's good graces, damaging his bond with his father, a bond that I'd never had with my own, and the guilt from that decision alone was all-consuming. Was I the best girl for Edward Cullen? Of course not. I was plain, poor, uneducated...but I loved him, and he chose me. It was my duty to fight, to live, to make it up to him.

Emmett emerged from the restroom, his shoulders hunched as he shuffled to the fridge in nothing but his boxers. He rummaged around for a moment, his big muscled rear poking out behind him, before he pulled out a huge, familiar looking bag. Slamming the door, he began unwrapping food, tossing it on a plate before shoving it into the microwave.

"Em, what are you doing?" I gasped, staring at him in disbelief.

"What?" he whined, staring at the plate as it spun around in the microwave.

"Em ,those are from the one dollar taco stand! I've warned you about the one dollar taco stand!" I exclaimed, standing and washing my bowl in the sink.

"I ate them all day yesterday and nothing happened. They're awesome!" he grumbled, removing the plate and scooping an enormous amount of sour cream out of a plastic container, smearing it all over the tacos. I shook my head in disbelief, grabbed two sleeping pills from the cabinet and swallowing them down with a glass of water.

"I'm going to sleep. Last warning...don't eat the tacos. You'll be thanking me later," I warned, locking the front door and checking it about ten times as Emmett watched me suspiciously across the room, but didn't call me out on it. If James knew my place of employment, he certainly knew where I lived, although I couldn't see him coming here to take me. No, he told me I'd know where to find him...somehow I knew that he wasn't in Memphis anymore. Sighing heavily, I walked across the apartment towards my bedroom.

"Hey, Bells?" Em said, in a sugary sweet voice. I turned, one eyebrow raised in question. "Can I use your laptop? Pretty, pretty, please with sugar on top? I swear I won't do anything that's going to get me arrested again...please? It's to help with Rose...like you said, showing her instead of telling her? Please..."

Huffing, I agreed, against my better judgement, before slamming my bedroom door. After throwing on my cami with matching sleeping shorts, I locked my bedroom door and shoved Mamaw Swan's wing back chair in front of it, propped it up under the knob. I checked my window six times until I convinced myself the window was thoroughly latched. Unless James was Spiderman and could scale the building, he wasn't coming through that window. I slipped sleepily under my covers. After turning my cell on silent, I set the alarm on it, placing it under my pillow, my mind wandering places it didn't need to wander...to memories of being wrapped in Edward Cullen, memories of James pulling me into the hallway. After tossing and turning for several minutes, I drifted into a deep sleep.

_The hot Mississippi sun beat down against my bare shoulders, and I inwardly cursed myself for forgetting my sunscreen and wearing a tank top. My fair skin burned easily, turning bright red, peeling, and then spattering my flesh with more freckles, leaving absolutely no tan whatsoever. I shifted on the top of the building, tired of being so still, tired of laying on my abdomen on the rocky roof, tired of the chase. In my small hands I held a long, slick rifle. Military grade...sniper rifle. Where my cousin got it, I don't know. I was too afraid to ask._

_Across the street, on the top of another building, lay one of the deadliest men that walked the planet, although 'walked' was not a proper word for the way that this man moved. He strolled through life, his meer presence casting a feeling of calmness and serenity to all those lucky enough to find themselves in the midst of this man. Those who knew him never suspected the killer that lay within. Even across the street I could smell the strawberry scent of the cigarillo he smoked, as he quietly watched the street below, his own rifle perched nearby. He was eighteen years old. He lived for the kill._

_I pressed the button on the side of my wireless headphone impatiently, whispering, "Are you sure he'll be driving through here? We've been waiting for hours!"_

_Jasper immediately responded, in a soft voice, "I'm sure. I've watched him for weeks. He keeps the same routine...eats breakfast at the diner, works out, drives to the post office and then stops at the grocery store. Em, you got everything under control down there?"_

_There was a momentary pause, before Em's young voice replied, "Got it under control man. I scrambled the police scanners and as soon as you give me the okay, I'll get the stop lights situated."_

_"Be patient, Bella. This is our day," Jasper whispered through the headphones, causing me to take a deep breath and try to slow my racing heart. I was ready for it to end. He'd been watching me, wanting me, for three years. The police wouldn't listen to me...and why should they? Why should they listen to the thirteen year old daughter of the disgraced Chief of Police, Charlie Swan, terminated for covering evidence in his own brother, Peter's, criminal activities? They had literally laughed in my face._

_Emmett sat in an old grey Buick, a laptop perched on his trembling lap. He'd never been good with a gun, but could do anything with a computer. The computer was his smoking gun. Shooting people wasn't his thing. His heart was too big, too soft. He didn't live for the hunt, for the regret, for the guilt and horror of it all. I hadn't either. Taking the life of an animal was completely different from taking the life of a human. I'd learned that from my time with Jasper, as he took me under his wing, dragging me across half of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana. I'd sit by his side, quiet and attentive as I always had been, watching him clean his gun while sitting in cheap hotels or worse, campsites. The first time I watched him shoot a man, I'd vomited. But, through it all, I never left his side. He was my defender, fighting my battles as my classmates bullied me for the family I came from, the father I had, the mother who took her own life. He'd blooded many a nose in my defense and had taken me in when there was no one else to care for me. I was his willing assistant, brainwashed by his father just as he was, convinced that by taking the lives of the people he murdered would rid the world of evil. Soon it would be my job to pull the trigger. My job, my duty, as Uncle Pete put it. It was a crock of shit._

_Pete spent his time trying to convince me that I was a natural-born killer. He sat on his back porch, smoking his cigarettes, staring and smiling at me as I took down target after target. I could run and hit a target. I could jump and hit a target. I would fall and still hit my target. He told me what a good girl I was, how much he loved me, how proud he was of me. Lies, all lies. I always hated a liar._

_And then there was James._

_I didn't expect him to ever come back after shooting the cigarette from his mouth, but I was wrong. He came back often, chatting with Uncle Pete, his friend and former military buddy. His eyes would drift to me constantly, no matter what I was doing; target shooting, helping my aunt cook, washing dishes. Peter would invite him to dinner, placing him next to me. One night I felt a warm hand tenderly squeeze my knee beneath the table. Looking up in surprise, I watched as James laughed with my family between bites of food, never acknowledging that he was touching me, as he ran his hand up my thigh in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable way. He squeezed my leg tightly, a warning not to say anything out loud, and as strong a child I was, at that moment I was too terrified to make a sound._

_I heard them later that night, Peter and James, as I crept into the hallway and into the kitchen, listening through the screen door as the two men chatted on the back porch._

_"I want Bella," James proclaimed, taking a long pull from a tall beer as he watched my Uncle Peter carefully. Pete took a pull from his own beer, almost choking on the liquid as he snickered._

_"She's too young, barely eleven. What are you going to do with an eleven year old, James?" he asked, laughing at his friend's absurd suggestion._

_"She's already well-trained," he replied, his cold eyes fixed on Pete's. "It will work out perfectly. She can go with me on missions, posing as my child. It's perfect. I want her. And you're going to give her to me. We agreed that you would train her to work with me."_

_"I remember our agreement, James, but it's not going to work," Pete replied, smoothly. "She works well with Jasper. He's about to start taking her on missions with him, prepare her for what lies ahead. If you need a partner from time to time, take Jasper. I've changed my mind about Bella. I'm going to keep her for myself."_

_"You promised her to me!" James spat, standing up, knocking his chair over in the process. I let out a startled squeak, pressing my hand tightly over my mouth. "She's mine and I'm taking her with me!" I gasped as the screen door flew open, James stalking in and freezing as his icy eyes fell on my terrified ones. Grinning sadistically, he grabbed my arm, yanking me through the house as I screamed and protested, my legs tangled in my long, white nightgown. I heard Pete enter the house yelling for James to stop as he pulled me through the front door, practically pulling my arm out of its socket._

_My feet slid across the gravel in the driveway, the rocks tearing at my tender flesh. I screamed in pain from the rocks, my throbbing arm, and the vice grip of James' hand. Just as he yanked the passenger door of his old pickup open, a loud BOOOOM sounded out through the hot, dark night, making him halt his movements._

_Jasper stood on the front porch, looking absolutely murderous, even at sixteen. He held a shotgun in one hand, and in the other he shoved a cigarillo in his mouth, lighting it up and taking a deep drag. Uncle Pete burst through the front door, standing at his side, staring at James and I, a hesitant expression on his face. He would let me go. He didn't want me to go, but he would let me go with this sadistic man._

_"You're gonna leave my cousin standing right where she's at, you hear me?" Jasper called, in his soft, yet firm voice, as thick white smoke billowed from his mouth. "Now you get on in that truck and leave before I shoot you right where you stand. You hear me, son?"_

_James grunted at being called 'son' from a kid half his age. His grip loosened slightly as he weighed his options, staring up at Jasper as he slowly reloaded his gun. Scowling, he shoved me to the ground, slipping in the truck from the passenger side as I laying crying on the gravel and dirt. He leaned over to shut the door behind him, and I heard him say in a clear, calm voiced. "This isn't over, Bella. Jasper won't always be around to protect you. I will come back for you." He slammed the door and the truck roared to life. He spun backwards down the driveway, spraying gravel and dirt on me as I lay trembling on the ground, my body racked with sobs._

_That was two years ago. Jasper and I continued to do Pete's bidding, although the only reason I performed my duties was because of Jasper. He'd saved me that night and I owed him. But a funny thing happened the summer Jasper turned seventeen. He went alone on a mission, leaving me behind with my aunt and uncle. I slept every night with a loaded shotgun by my side, under the orders of my cousin. My door was not only locked but my dresser pushed in front of it, because James continued to linger in town from time to time. When I went to the grocery store, I would spot him, a wicked grin as he stood in the checkout line. He would stand near the school, smoking his cigarettes, watching as I stumbled across the parking lot. When Jasper returned from his assignment, it was as if he were a different person. He'd had a revelation, he told me in secret, away from the prying eyes of his father. Jasper claimed to have a spiritual awakening and realized that his father was sick, twisted, and had brainwashed us. He proclaimed it was his duty to make things right, spending the rest of his life paying retribution for his sins and the sins of his father._

_But there would be one last kill, he confessed, his face contorted in anger. His last victim would be James Hunter. He was finished with his old life and ready to start a new one. The thought of killing James terrified me. No other person in the world scared me like he did. There was an evilness in his eyes that I'd never encountered. _

_I tried to clear my mind as I continued to lay on top of that hot building, thinking only of our future, of the possibilities that lay ahead. My gaze lingered on the street below, waiting for that old, faded blue pickup to sputter in our direction. Jasper would make the kill shot. I was simply his backup plan...as always._

_The sound of rock crunching beneath a shoe drew my attention over my shoulder. A white handkerchief doused in a foul-smelling chemical pressed tightly against my nose and mouth. I wrestled with my gun, trying to twist around to shoot my assailant. He grabbed the gun from my hand, tossing it like a forgotten toy on the roof, dragging me to where the metal latter connected to the side of the building as I struggled to stay conscious. I held my breath, beating the man with my elbows, fists and feet as he quickly pulled me to the latter._

_"Told you I'd come back," the man whispered, my eyes widening with a new terror. I took a deep breath, against my own free will, the need for oxygen all-consuming. We reached the edge of the building and I screamed as he tossed me off the side, my body slamming into the bed of an old silver pickup truck, one I'd never seen before. My head and ribs cracked at the impact and I quickly slipped into unconsciousness._

_I woke up in confusion, my eyes squinting as they tried to adjust to the darkness I was in. My entire body ached, my ribs feeling as though they'd been crushed, which they probably were. I sat up on a narrow twin bed, the rough sheets scratching my soft skin. I gasped at the pain that I felt, my head throbbing as though it were about to explode. James had my mouth gagged and tied with a soft, cotton cloth. My arms and legs were bound, and I struggled against the ropes as they cut through my flesh, leaving it pink, swollen and bleeding. My lungs burned as I took deep, ragged breaths, the chemical smell still in my nose._

_Glancing around the dark room it was obvious I was in some type of small cabin, a hunting cabin perhaps, as I noticed mounted deer heads on the walls and simple, wooden furniture. A crumbling fireplace stood against one wall, casting the faint smell of old, burnt wood throughout the air. There was a set of bunk beds against the opposite wall from the twin bed that I lay on. The room was very basic, no kitchen appliances, as the man who lived here probably cooked on an outdoor fire or in the fireplace during the wintertime._

_The door burst open and James lumbered in, grinning at me as though he'd just won the lottery. He shut the door quietly behind him, locking it before giving me a maniacal grin. He stalked across the room as I pushed myself back on the bed with my bound legs, screaming through the gag, my voice coming out as a muffled moan. He laughed heartily as he pulled a knife from his camouflage pants, holding it up in the air and smiling down at me. I screamed harder, sickened that he was about to stab and slice me with the shiny hunting knife._

_"Time to have some fun, honey," he cooed, slicing the binds from my body with the knife. I kicked, hit, punched him as much as a could before he slapped me harshly, knocking me from the bed and onto the floor, my body screaming in pain._

_"I have to say, I appreciate your spirit," he told me thoughtfully as he yanked me off the floor and tossed me back onto the bed. "But I like my women more compliant. I guess I'm going to have to break you like you break a wild horse." And with those words, he yanked at my jeans, pulling them from my body as I watched in horror, the sick realization of what he was planning to do to me sinking in as I continued to fight him. _

_"I really didn't want to do this, but maybe it's for the best," he told me in a horribly kind voice before wrapping his hands around my throat. He choked me as I continued to fight, his face smiling down at me sweetly, the evil gleam shining in his eyes. His face was the last thing I saw before slipping into unconsciousness._

_It went on like that for days, possibly weeks. He would come at me, fumbling with his zipper, and I would scream and fight him until he choked me out. I'd wake up sore, bleeding, with James whispering sweet words in my ears. He promised me anything I wanted if I stopped fighting him, if I just accepted my fate. Little did he know that I would never stop fighting. I would never be complacent, for I'd rather be raped while unconscious then to live the rest of my life with the memory of him on top of me. He would have to kill me first._

_I didn't know where we were until he finally yanked me outside one day, telling me how I stunk, how I needed to bathe because he couldn't be with me as dirty as I was. I preferred to smell, if that was the case. When he shoved me into the cool water of a creek, I stared up at the different types of trees standing tall above me, the birds singing overhead, the scent of the earth, and I knew I was still in the South. The sights and smells alerted me to the fact that I possibly hadn't left my home state, and I prayed with all my heart that Jasper would find me soon, as I scrubbed my broken skin with the clean creek water. James stood nearby, tossing me a bar of soap, the action startling me. I cringed as it sunk to the bottom and I fought with the slippery soap on the creek bed before finally grasping it in my hands, running it up and down my arms._

_"Take off your clothes, you smelly bitch," James called from the bank, sitting on a large rock, whittling a piece of wood, his gun sitting nearby. The large rock was limestone, and I knew I was farther northeast than Masen, my hometown. Maybe ever closer to Tennessee..._

_Removing my shirt and jeans, I sat in the creek, cleaning myself as much as I could without removing my underwear. I knew it would just be a matter of time before he told me to remove them, but I was biding my time, knowing that the sight of me naked always put him in a frenzy. I didn't want him to choke me in the creek, terrified of the thought of drowning as he raped me. I would have to comply if he asked me to remove my underwear, if I wanted to live._

_A tree branch snapped nearby and I hoped that I didn't jump too quickly at the sound, my body always on high alert since James had kidnapped me. I glanced up quickly and watched as he continued to whittle away at the piece of wood, oblivious. My eyes darted around, searching for my invisible savior._

_"Take off your underwear," James demanded, tossing the piece of wood on the ground beside the rock as he stood up, dusting off his old camouflage pants. I froze, staring up at him as he crept closer to the creek, his eyes challenging me to refuse him. With a deep breath and a trembling hand, I reached up, sliding one bra strap off my boney shoulder as he watched me, now gleefully._

_That's when the shot rang out. It was a shot meant for his cold, bitter heart, but it was too high up, and that one step he took into the creek towards me was the only thing that saved his life. The bullet raced through the air, slamming into James' left shoulder just as he entered the creek. He screamed out in pain, blood flowing from the wound as he landed beside me, splashing and screaming as the clean, clear water turned red around him. I tried to stand, but the creek bed was slippery and I fell several times trying to get away from him. He grabbed my leg, pulling me back into the water as the blood continued to boil around him._

_"I'll drown you before I let you go!" he screamed, shoving my face in the water. I flailed around, struggling to bring my face out of the water as he held a steady hand on the back of my head. He suddenly let me go, and I brought my submerged head above water. The water spilled out of my ears as I gasped desperately for air, and I heard the sound of feet running through thick brush. Shoving my wet hair from my eyes, I watched as James ran to the bank, grabbing a pistol from the ground near the limestone rock._

_I expected Jasper to burst first through the brush, but my mouth fell open as I watched Peter emerge from the woods, gun drawn as he yelled his regrets to me. I screamed as James shot him directly in the head, Peter's face frozen, his eyes fixed on mine before he slumped to the ground. James let out a dry laugh as he cocked the gun and screamed into the forest, "Come out, come out wherever you are!" He backed up towards the cabin as another shot rang out through the now quiet woods. The bullet hit his gun and he screamed as it flew from his fingers, landing beside me in the water. I grabbed the gun, my fingers sliding against the slime on the rocky creek bottom, before holding it up, only to find James gone._

_Jasper emerged from the trees, passing his father without a second glance, his eyes fixated on mine. He stood near the creek, lighting a cigarillo, blowing the smoke out of his nose like an angry dragon._

_"Let's go," he said, gesturing for me to stand, which I did, on two wobbly legs, the gun clasped in my hand. He helped me out of the creek and into the woods, barefooted and nearly naked. We walked silently, his arm wrapped around my waist as we finally reached a small, dirt road. Emmett sat nervously in Jasper's car, jumping out when he saw the two of us walk up. He began crying upon seeing me, cursing and grabbing me as I stiffened with his arms around me. I'd never seen Emmett cry._

_"Are you okay, Bells? Oh, my God! I'm so glad you're alive! Is the son of a bitch dead?" Emmett asked, holding me away from him to take a good look at me. He didn't like what he saw, which was the ghost of a girl I once was. If he only knew it would take years of therapy to bring his sister back._

_"One of them is," Jasper replied, referring to his father, popping the trunk and removing a large, thick, green blanket, which he wrapped around my trembling wet body. Emmett pulled the passenger seat up, climbing in the backseat to allow me the front passenger seat. I felt like a zombie...a shell of a person. It was as though things were happening around me, but I was only floating in the air, suspended, not taking place in any of it._

_"James got away," Jasper clarified, sliding into the car and turning over the ignition. "But not for long. I'm gonna find that bastard, if it takes the rest of my life. But we're doing this the right way this time. We're going to the cops."_

_This caused me to snap back to reality, if only for a minute, as I burst into laughter. "The cops don't care! We went to them before! They won't believe anything I say!"_

_"They'll believe you now," he replied, pulling down the old dirt road. "We're calling the cops and you're going to the hospital. We're going to tell them about James, again."_

_"And then what?" I asked, laughing hysterically. "Tell them we planned on murdering him? But he kidnapped me before we could do it? Or maybe we should tell them about how we've spent our summers driving all over the south while you murder people for your father...that sounds like a great idea! Let's all go to jail while James runs around free."_

_"Bella, I deserve things far worse than jail for the things that I have done," Jasper whispered, a painful expression on his face. "I'm going to hell for the sins I've committed...jail can't be that bad compared to the afterlife."_

_"We're not telling the cops about any of that stuff," I said, finally calming down a bit. "We'll tell them he stalked me, that we reported it to them but they didn't believe us. We'll tell them we planned on taking matters into our own hands, and that he kidnapped me. They'll be so embarrassed that they didn't listen to us to begin with, they'll find him."_

_And find them they did. They found James Hunter hiding in a seedy motel two weeks later. They tried and convicted James Hunter for kidnapping, rape of a minor, and murder. He went to prison, the same prison that a riot later occurred at. Many of the buildings burned to the ground, causing several inmates to escape. All of them had been found. All except James Hunter._

The screaming of the alarm on my cell woke me from my slumber, the sleeping pills making my mind fuzzy and my mouth dry. I knew I had a nightmare, but sleeping pills always made my mind hazy, and I couldn't remember anything about the dream.

I expected to find Emmett passed out on the couch, but it sat abandoned except for a blanket and one of my pillows, which Emmett had flattened with his big head. My laptop sat on the coffee table, open, the screen bright. I leaned down curiously, staring at the screen, wondering what Emmett had been up to. A sad smile crossed my face as my eyes darted across the screen, and my heart swelled, for my brother was the sweetest knucklehead that walked the face of the earth.

A low moaning sound drifted nearby, and I turned my head to the bathroom, staring at the door. That's when the smell hit me.

"Oh, my Lord!" I yelled, pinching my nose and gagging. "Emmett, I told you not to eat those stupid tacos!" He moaned in response, yelling that he was dying. Groaning, I went to the cabinet, pulling out a package of pills which I left on the counter.

"There's medicine on the counter for you to take...if you do, in fact, survive the tacos!" I yelled as I pounded on the bathroom door. Emmett moaned and whined in response, making crude remarks about his butthole, which I chose to ignore. "I'm going to Angie's to take a shower!"

Gathering my things, I walked across the hallway to Angie's apartment, knocking softly on the door and giving her a small smile when she opened it. I could see Eric past her shoulder sleeping soundly in his crib, as I asked to borrow her shower.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed, fanning her face as the smell drifted from beneath my apartment door and into the hallway. "What is that awful smell?"

"Emmett discovered the one dollar taco stand," I replied. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, asking why I didn't warn him ahead of time. Rolling my eyes, I stalked to the bathroom, taking a quick shower and throwing on my clothes. I pulled on a fitted white top and my favorite faded jeans, ripped near the knees. I shoved my feet into my old, worn sneakers and pulled on a grey hoodie

"I gotta go, Ang," I told her after leaving her bathroom. She was leaning over the crib adjusting the blanket that covered her son. Eric looked so sweet, so peaceful. She stood up straight and I surprised her with a huge hug. Angie patted me awkwardly on the back as I released her and gave her a sad smile. She stared at me quizzically as I softly told her goodbye, shutting the door behind me.

I grabbed my cell, yelling at the bathroom door that I was going shopping. Which I was...shopping for a gun. I heard Emmett inside begging me not to leave, but I chose to ignore him. I strolled down the stairs, glad not to see my brother before I left. Emmett was a huge goofball, but he was very intuitive at times, and would know something was up with me when no one else did. Scrolling through my phone, I noticed that I had several missed calls from Tia and Carmen...and some from an unknown number. As I scrolled through my texts, my heart just about stopped.

_10:03AM: You left._

_10:34AM: This is Edward, if you couldn't tell from my earlier text. I hope you don't mind that I pulled your number from the employee files. I need to know why you were snooping around in my office this morning. Please tell me that my earlier assumptions about you were wrong. Call me._

_11:45AM: Bella, call me now._

And the most recent one was just a few minutes before I awoke.

_2:47PM: Bella, answer the fucking phone. I just watched the video feed from last night. I swear to God if you don't answer the fucking phone or call me back...Who the fuck is the man who grabbed you? What the fuck!_

Crap! My stomach started churning nervously. I'd wanted to keep everyone out of it as much as possible, but people wouldn't leave well enough alone. As I pushed through the doors of the building, I stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth dropping open in disbelief at the scene in front of me, momentarily forgetting all about Edward Cullen.

Carmen and Tia stood, propped up next to Carmen's old white SUV, puffing away on their cigarettes nervously as they gazed up at my apartment building. Carmen was wearing a bright blue shirt with a pair of jeans that were too long for her petite legs, the jeans practically hiding her sneakers. She had her inverted bob pulled up in the front with a silver barrette making her look like a sixteen year old girl. Tia had colored her short hair red and wore a black shirt with dark wash jeans, her almond eyes darting around until they fell on mine.

"What are you guys _doing_ here?" I hissed after crossing the busy street, glancing over my shoulder at the building behind me, somehow terrified that Emmett would burst out at any moment to drag me back in for some unknown reason.

"Personally, I don't know," Tia responded, puffing the cigarette down to the filter before throwing it to the ground and crushing it with her shoe. "This is the craziest shit Carmen's ever talked me into."

Carmen rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "You didn't think we'd let you go alone, did you? There's no way you're going alone to the ghetto!"

"Carmen, y'all don't need to get mixed up in this," I huffed, glaring at her as she held up her chin in defiance. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to the two of you."

"Well, too bad! We're going!" she snapped, pointing across the street at my red, rusting truck. "Now you have two options. Option one is to get in your crappy truck and drive to Orange Mound with me and Tia riding your ass the entire way there blaring the horn, or you can take option two, which is to get in your crappy truck with me and Tia sitting beside you. Which one is it, Bella?"

"Is there an option three?" Tia asked, just as I was about to open my mouth. "Option three could be the three of us going to the police and reporting what happened last night? Yeah, I like option three. I think I'm going with option three."

"We're not going to the police!" Carmen huffed, glaring at Tia. "The police in Shelby county have so much crime going on in this city, they probably won't even take our statement. We're going to Orange Mound!"

"We ain't gonna make it out of Orange Mound!" Tia exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "I'm weak! I lean when I walk, and it's not a gangsta walk, it's because I got arthritis in my right hip! I enjoy bubble baths, bitch! I have a sick attraction to homosexual men! And what about Bella? You think she's gonna make it out alive? She smiles too much! Her skin is too pale! She doesn't know proper grammar! And you're a damn Yankee! You talk funny! You eat scones!"

"Uh, yeah, besides the fact that I'm overwhelmingly insulted, I don't think any of that really matters," Carmen scowled, rolling her eyes at Tia's absurdities.

"Look," I said, interrupting Tia's strange rambling. "I'm getting in my truck to meet this guy in Orange Mound. I would appreciate it if the two of you go home, however, if you decide not to go home, please don't follow me down the street blasting your horn. I'm going to try my best not to die today."

"Go home? Okay!" Tia exclaimed, grabbing the handle of Carmen's SUV door and pulling at it, only to find it locked. Carmen dangled the keys from her finger, taunting our friend as she jumped around trying to steal them from her. I left my friends there, darting across the street to my truck, unlocking it and turning the ignition, the old chugging sound of my engine oddly comforting. Carmen popped up beside the passenger door, banging on the window loudly, threatening that if I don't open the door, she would tell Emmett everything. My friend was a deceitful little thing. I reached across the truck hesitantly, pulling open the lock. Carmen shoved Tia in first, quickly sliding in beside her as she bounced around anxiously.

"Can we smoke in here? Okay," Tia answered herself, lighting a cigarette before I could respond. I growled and slid down the unused ashtray from beneath my ancient radio. The truck protested loudly as I pulled out into the Memphis traffic. Something hard was poking me from beneath the cracked cushions of my seat. I felt around for a second before pulling out a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag. It was something my grandmother gave me as a child for colds and fevers. I twisted the top and took a small swig, the liquid burning as it slid down my throat and into my belly, instantly warming my cold hands. Twisting the cap back on the bottle, I shoved it back to its home between the cushions, meeting the gaze of my friends.

"What?" I asked, defensively.

"Hey, I'm not one to judge," Carmen admitted, removing something from her pocket. It was the cellophane from her cigarette pack. It crinkled as she pulled it open, digging a pill from its depths and popping it into her mouth, frowning as she swallowed it dry.

"What the hell did you just swallow?" Tia asked.

"It's something for my nerves. Don't worry, it's my prescription," she responded.

"Bella's drinking, you're taking pills, what the hell? Y'all gotta be coherent when we get there! I can't do this shit. I'm too weak for this. I've got a limp. I can't run very fast. I'm a republican! We need to turn around."

"Calm down, we're almost there," I murmured, taking a left turn as we eased along the bumper to bumper traffic. The buildings had become scarce as we entered a more run-down part of the city, which happened to only be about a twenty-minute drive from my apartment.

"Carmen, you're sitting on my black hoodie. Put it one and cover up that blue shirt before you get us shot. There's all kind of gangs around here," I said, glancing at a grocery store parking lot where a cop had a man thrown over the front of his car, frisking him.

"There's a black car following us," Carmen murmured, shoving her arms into the hoodie and zipping it up. "Three cars back. He's been following us for a while now."

I glanced casually in my review mirror, noticing a slick, black car three cars behind us. The black paint shined glossy in the hot, Tennessee sun, its silver rims glittering like diamonds. The car had tinted windows, too dark, probably to the point of being illegal.

"Probably just a drug supplier making his weekly stop," I muttered, noticing a dark-skinned man walking down the sidewalk beside us. He was short and had scruffy hair growing on his face. He spoke to himself expressively, throwing his hands up when he wanted to make a point, his head twitching occasionally.

"Do you think there's a crackhead on the other side of the earth responding to him?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Wouldn't it be funny if they were having a real conversation with one another?"

"Yeah, that's fucking hilarious," Tia replied, leaning across me to slam her hand on the old lock on my door. She then leaned across Carmen, locking her door as well. A large group of men walked by at that time, shirtless, laughing and chatting with one another before peering into my truck. One of the approached the window and began knocking on it, making Carmen scream in terror.

"Go away you fucking tweaker!" Tia yelled, pointing her finger at the man. He looked angry for a second before bursting into laughter and yelling for Carmen to roll down the window. He pressed a bag of pills against the glass, hidden from the outside world by his cupped hand.

"No thank you, kind sir," I called as the traffic picked up and we rolled forward. He chased us for a few feet until finally relenting. Tia was staring at me strangely.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"Okay, Swan. In the hood, they don't say 'thank you kind sir'. In fact, I don't think you should talk at all. You can't be all nice and shit. You gotta be hard when you talk to these folks. They can smell weakness a mile away. And don't cuss. You always blush when you cuss. These people gonna eat you alive."

"You gotta be hard?" I said sarcastically, griping the steering wheel. "This is coming from the same girl who is terrified to go to the hood because she enjoys bubble baths?"

"You think they take bubble baths in the hood?" Tia asked, rolling her eyes.

She finally became silent as we reached Orange Mound, which was surprisingly desolate compared to what most people would consider 'the projects'. Open space lined the street with an occasional business or run down home. Cars, trucks and SUV's lined both sides of the street, most of them expensive and flashy with huge silver rims. The thumping of rap music from passing motorists filled my truck as I rolled down the window slightly to release some of the smoke from Tia's hotboxing. People were everywhere; standing on the corners, walking in groups, sitting in their front yards on inexpensive plastic chairs. They all had one thing in common. They all stared at us.

I pulled out my cell, ignoring the missed calls and texts as I pulled up the address Willie had provided me. Peering carefully at the houses we passed by, I finally noticed the proper house number on a slightly smashed mailbox at the end of a short driveway. I pulled my truck in a few spaces down from the house, ignoring the group of men who sat casually on the porch watching us as I parked the truck. I cut the engine and the three of us sat silently for a minute. The slick, black car that Carmen assumed followed us drove slowly by before creeping around a corner.

"Okay," I told them, staring at them solemnly. "Y'all stay here. Keep the doors locked. I'm going in."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Carmen grumbled, unlocking the door and hoping out of the truck. I watched in horror as she walked across the dead grass in front of a white house, the paint peeling and wooden planks cracking. She greeted the group of men sitting on the porch and I groaned out loud. Tia took a deep breath and slid out the same way, shutting the door quietly behind her. My friends were going to get themselves killed! I quickly unlocked my door, slid out and walked cautiously across the tiny block of grass in front of the house.

Sitting on the front steps was a large, dark man, a toothpick dangling from his mouth. He wore a white shirt and tan pants with a pair of impressive black sneakers on his feet. Long, thick black braids covered the man's head, as they swirled around before hanging down his neck in the back. He studied the three of us critically before glancing at his friends and bursting into raucous laughter. The man had a huge gap between his teeth that I tried my best not to stare at as he cackled.

"My uncle has lost his damn mind!" the man howled, grabbing his belly as he laughed heartily. "I know y'all ain't here lookin' for no gatt! What y'all gonna need it for? You gotta dispute over who made head cheerleader? Someone steal y'alls mane? What da hell y'all need a gun fo'?"

"Why I need a piece is my business," I told him, remembering Tia's words of wisdom, to sound hard. The insulting smile left the man's face as he stared at me thoughtfully.

"Okay, shorty. True dat. Come on in the house. I'll show ya what I got," he said, standing up. His friends entered the house behind him, all leering back at us suggestively. The knot that formed in my belly was not a nervous one, but a knot of dread as one of the men licked his lips before giving Tia a sly wink. She glared at him, marching up the steps into the house, Carmen and I following closely behind.

The living room was surprisingly clean with minimal furniture. Burgandy bedsheets covered the small windows and an older lady, in her fifties, emerged from one of the back bedrooms. She had dark hair cut in a bob and had a pretty shape about her. She stared at the three of us like we were creatures from another planet.

"Marco, what the hell are these girls doing here?" she asked, staring at Carmen and I, basically ignoring Tia. She had a Chicago accent and a no-nonsense tone.

"Don't worry 'bout her," Marco told us, nodding at the woman who now stood with her hands on her hips. "That's my grandma, Mary, but we call her Gangsta Grandma. She talk a lot of shit all da time. Her bark worse dan her bite."

I smiled shyly at Mary as she raised a critical eyebrow at me before throwing her hands up and walking to the kitchen, mumbling about how stupid her grandson was. We followed Marco and his friends into a bedroom and stared in shock at the amount of guns that lay on his bed. Handguns, rifles, and even shotguns covered the bed. My mouth began to water as I took a deep breath, swallowing as I asked him permission to pick up a gun. He nodded silently and I went immediately to the 9mm located directly in front of me.

The gun had a clean, flawless, black Melonite finish, the metal cold in my hands as I thoroughly examined the gun. The gun had a dovetail-mount green fiber optic front and fixed rear sight. It was flawless and the perfect shape to conceal it from curious eyes. It looked brand new; no rust pitting and good grips. The screws were tight and unmarred. I held it in front of me, staring down the barrel. It fit in my hand like a used glove.

"Can I dry fire it to check the trigger pull?" I asked Marco, and he stared at me strangely, glancing at his friends in disbelief before nodding his head. After making sure the gun wasn't loaded, I pointed it at the wall in front of me, gently squeezing the trigger. I did it again, checking the consistency of the pull. It was perfect. I checked the inside of the barrel, which was thankfully clean.

Then I got a little cocky. I really couldn't help myself. The way the men, Tia and Carmen stared at me as I thoroughly examined the firearm drove me to it. I stared spinning the gun in my hand, frontward and then backwards. Then I spun it sideways, quickly stopping it as I pointed it at the wall again and pulled the trigger. It was perfect.

"Who in the fuck are you?" Marco asked, staring at me with his mouth open, gold bottom teeth shining.

"You don't wanna know. How much for the 9?" I asked, holding the gun to my chest like it was a speckled puppy. I was already in love.

"Six hundred," he replied smoothly, watching my face carefully. Tia and Carmen gasped, but I wasn't surprised. This semiautomatic gun was easily worth over eight hundred dollars when bought legally.

"And it's untraceable?" I clarified, looking at the gun carefully.

"Completely," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest as I sat the gun back on the bed, my fingers lingering on the cool metal barrel.

"Okay, it's a deal," I replied. He nodded and I left the bedroom, crossing the living room with Tia, Carmen and the men on our heels.

"Hey, where you goin'?" Marco asked as we stepped out onto the porch. I turned to him with a frown and responded, "Your uncle said you would bring the gun to a second location. It was suprising enough to see them here. You didn't really think I was going to come with the money on me, did you?" I stepped down the porch steps onto the grass, pulling my hood over my head, Tia and Carmen flanking me at both sides. This man was crazy if he thought I would bring a large amount of cash to Orange Mound!

"Plans changed," Marco hissed, grabbing my arm harshly. I tried to jerk away, but his grip intensified. "You gonna go get my money and come back here."

"I'm not coming back!" I spat, still jerking at my arm. "Either you meet me in a second location or the deal is off."

"Fine," he replied, his eyes boring down into mine. "If you ain't gonna go get me my money then give me that chain on your neck." His voice left no sign that there was room to argue.

I glanced down at my neck, forgetting that I'd worn my mother's gold locket. Inside the locket was a small picture of the two of us when I was a tiny baby, laying sleepily in her arms. It was something that I hadn't removed in a very long time, and I'd be damned if this man was going to take the only belonging I had of my mother's!

"No," I yelled, pulling at my arm. "It was my mother's! You can't have it!"

"Then I'll just take it!" he said, grabbing my necklace and ripping it from my neck. He laughed as I tried to grab the jewelry back, but his face quickly fell as he looked over my right shoulder.

"What the..." he whispered, staring out into the street. I turned around and stared at a long line of black vehicles, creeping down the street. It looked like a funeral procession, or possibly a motorcade for the president. The first two cars slid by silently before stopping. The third vehicle was a huge, black SUV, the rims shining so brightly it made my eyes water in pain. The door open and a handsome blonde man slid out of the front passenger side, before opening one of the back doors and letting a group men out. The man in the center of the group stood out boldly, and I don't know what made him stand out the most. Maybe it was his dark suit or that he had a gun shoved in the front waistband of his pants in front of his crisp, white shirt, uncaring that everyone could see it flashing there. Maybe it was his black sunglasses that he removed to glare at the group of us on the front lawn, his green eyes narrowing in on Marco's hand grasped firmly around my arm, his other hand clutching my mother's necklace. Or maybe it was his shiny, copper strands that caught the sunlight, messy all over his head.

"Damn, that's Ed Cullen," one of Marco's friends muttered, taking a step back towards the house. "The damn King of Memphis." One of Marco's other friends made a mad dash through the yard, jumping a fence in the process before disappearing around the corner of the house.

Edward stopped a few feet away from us, still glancing at Marco's hand on my arm. "Do you like having two hands? Because, if you don't, I really don't mind cutting one of them off. And I will, if you don't remove it from my girl."

"Your girl?" Marco muttered, dropping my arm instantly.

"Ha! Bet you didn't see that one coming, you buck-toothed bastard!" Tia laughed dryly, watching proudly as Edward stood glaring at the man.

Marco stared at me in disbelief, no doubt wondering what Edward Cullen saw in me. I massaged my arm with my other hand, rubbing the soreness out. Edward pulled me to his side, casually wrapping one arm around me as he pressed his soft lips to my forehead. "You have some explaining to do, baby," he whispered, with a warning in his silky voice. I pouted before holding my hand out expectantly to Marco.

"Give me my mother's locket," I demanded. He jumped, quickly depositing the locket in my hand, staring nervously up at Edward.

"He took you're mother's locket?" he asked, his voice spitting venom. I nodded slowly, biting my bottom lip as Edward gave Marco a warning.

"Watch your back. Because the first time you let your guard down, I'll kill you. It may happen any time and anywhere, but mark my words, you will pay for touching my girl without permission," Edward told the man in a cool, calm voice. Marco's eyes flashed in terror as he stumbled backwards and proceeded to run in the house, the door slamming behind him. I could hear the locks turning inside.

"Elvis has left the building!" Tia hollered at Marco's remaining friends who lingered on the edge of the lawn. "Thank you, thank you very much!"

Edward told one of his men to drive my truck. I watched as a man in an expensive dark suit slid behind the wheel, looking ridiculous in my old, rusty truck. Tia, Carmen and I followed Edward to the SUV, my two friends sliding in the very back seat as I scooted in the second row, Edward following immediately behind. We pulled out of Orange Mound in silence, the question of how he found me and why I was there lingering unspoken in the air. I stared out of the dark windows, silently knowing that the black car who originally followed us to Orange Mound was one of his hired men.

"We need to talk," Edward whispered, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. His shoulders looked tense and his face held a mask of anger and anxiety. I nodded silently, as we finally approached the street where my apartment stood. We did need to talk. I was going to come clean about James, about why I ran the night at the grocery store. I would tell him about Emmett and Jasper, about our past. I was going to tell him everything because I had no choice. If it wasn't me who told him, he would go to Emmett, and Emmett would sing like a canary.

"Who the hell is _that_?" Carmen whispered, staring out of the window at a man leaned against a car in front of my apartment building.

The car the man leaned on was a black '69 dodge charger, purchased and restored because of his fascination as a small child with the General Lee. I could practically smell the tobacco, leather and strawberry interior of the car as we slowly crept by. The man was tall and lean with sharp muscles rippling below his fitted shirt. He wore a pair of faded jeans and an old concert t-shirt, although it was too chilly for t-shirts. His exposed skin was tan from his love of the outdoors. A hemp necklace hung from his neck. His blonde locks curled down over his deep blue eyes, as he stared at our vehicle slowly passing by. Somehow I could feel his eyes penetrating straight into mine, through our dark, tinted windows. He was beautiful. He was lethal.

"Jasper," I whispered, my body full of dread.

**A/N: OHHH...JASPER'S IN TOWN! DOES HE KNOW ABOUT JAMES? IS HE HERE TO TAKE BELLA AWAY...TO PUT HER IN HIDING? WILL EDWARD LET HIM? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BELLA, JASPER AND EMMETT'S PAST? WHAT IS EMMETT PLANNING ON DOING TO WOO ROSE? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Boys Are Back In Town

**A/N: **** Thanks for the well wishes y'all. I'm feeling a lot better today. I'm sure you guys have noticed that this story pretty much happens in real-time. I've never read a story written like that, but I gotta say, I kinda like it like that. Makes it seem more real or summin. It's prolly about to skip a few days forward in the next chapter though. Anywho, I loved the many reviews I received about sexy, smooth Jasper! He's been whispering in my ear, anxious to get out of my head throughout this entire story. Hope I do him some justice.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own the characters, plot and all things ****_Breakaway Bella_****.**

**And to tee24: ThUg $h*T hOmi3!**

* * *

_Previously, in Chapter Eleven..._

_The car the man leaned on was a black '69 dodge charger, purchased and restored because of his fascination as a small child with the General Lee. I could practically smell the tobacco, leather and strawberry interior of the car as we slowly crept by. The man was tall and lean with sharp muscles rippling below his fitted shirt. He wore a pair of faded jeans and an old concert t-shirt, although it was too chilly for t-shirts. His exposed skin was tan from his love of the outdoors. A hemp necklace hung from his neck. His blonde locks curled down over his deep blue eyes, as he stared at our vehicle slowly passing by. Although our windows were tinted, I could somehow feel his eyes penetrating straight into mine. He was beautiful. He was lethal._

_"Jasper," I whispered, my body full of dread. _

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: The Boys Are Back In Town**

"Who's Jasper?" Tia whispered back, peering through the dark window as Edward's driver pulled in a parking space in front of Jasper's car. I watched as he pulled a cigarillo pack from his back pocket, removed one and lit it, momentarily breaking his gaze from the vehicle. I could almost smell strawberries as I watched the smoke billowing around him.

"My cousin," I responded, my body slowly beginning to shake. If Jasper was in town looking for me, it couldn't be good. Did he _know_ that James had found me?

"That's your_ cousin_? That boy is _fine_!" Carmen exclaimed, turning around in her seat to watch Jasper lean against the black muscle car, blowing smoke towards the Tennessee sun. I could feel Edward gazing at me as I slowly chewed on my bottom lip, Tia and Carmen completely unaware of my anxious state.

"He sure is," Tia agreed, her big, dark eyes staring at Jasper through the window. "Take a good look, Cleveland," Tia continued, shooting Carmen a sideways glance before her eyes slid back to Jasper's casual stance. "That's a corn-fed southern boy. They don't make them like that anymore."

"Were you expecting your cousin to pay you a visit?" Edward asked, interrupting their rambling. He watched me carefully, his green eyes penetrating my brown ones. I shook my head, glancing back through the glass, murmuring, "If Jasper's in town...it's not for a social visit."

Taking a deep breath, I grasped the door handle, swinging the door open slowly before sliding out. My sneakers hit the dirty pavement, and I stared at my cousin who looked straight ahead, never glancing my way. I barely registered the sound of Edward, Tia and Carmen as they exited the vehicle behind me. All of my attention was on my cousin, who never glanced up to see me walking slowly towards him, chewing my lip and wringing my hands until I was standing a few steps away from him. Jasper turned and stared at me quietly, his eyes shining and a small smile on the corner of his mouth...until he glanced over my shoulder at Edward. Jasper stiffened marginally, his eyes narrowing at Edward minutely, only recognizable by me, before his eyes drifted back to mine. Edward appeared at my side, sliding one arm around my waist, causing me to grimace, as he peered down at me curiously.

Jasper's gaze drifted between the two of us, his eyes dissecting everything about Edward; the way he stood, the way he scowled as I stiffened at his touch...his protective stance. Edward returned his gaze, appraising my cousin as well. Jasper gave him a lazy smile, blowing smoke rings into the air as he carelessly tossed the remains of his cigarillo to the ground, smashing it beneath one worn boot

"Bella...Mr. Cullen," Jasper greeted us with a lopsided smile, the smoke drifting around his face .

"How do you know who I am?" Edward asked, after a lengthy pause, his eyes roaming over my nervous appearance before meeting Jasper's eyes again. Edward removed his arm from my waist and pushed his hands in his pockets, the suit jacket pulling open to reveal the gun placed it his waistband. Jasper glanced at the piece, but looked indifferent as he shrugged and pushed away from the car, strolling casually as he approached us.

"I know a lot of things about you, Mr. Cullen," Jasper responded, leaning back on the heels of his worn boots. "I know what you do for a living, legally and illegally, I know where you live, where your parents live. I know what you eat for breakfast, lunch and supper. I know where you like so spend your free time, when you actually have any. I can name all the men you have either killed, or have _had_ killed. I know that Bella works for you, that you bought out the bar where she worked, but there's one thing that I don't know, Mr. Cullen. I don't know _why in the hell _she's getting out of that car with you."

"Bella and I are..." he paused, staring at me, not knowing the proper answer for his question. "Bella and I are close with one another. But as far as where she was today...what she was doing...you'll have to ask her," Edward continued, not asking or acknowledging how Jasper knew so many personal things about him. "Because I honestly don't know the answer to that myself. I searched everywhere for her today and finally found her in the ghetto...in Orange Mound." Looking up at Jasper, he gazed at me with a raised eyebrow, then a sweet, soft smile.

"Bella," he whispered, his eyes reflecting the words he did not say. _I've missed you. I'm so happy to see you. _

"Jasper," I replied as he finally pulled my trembling body in his arms.

I drew in a deep breath, breathing in the familiar smell of Jasper...strawberries, tobacco, leather and spice.

"Why were you in Orange Mound? Why are you with this man? Do you not know who he is...the things that he does?" Jasper whispered into my ear.

"I...I love him..." I whispered as he released me, placed his hands on my shoulders and stared deeply into my eyes.

I avoided his question about Orange Mound, but Jasper was too slick to just let it slip his mind. Jasper would store that question for later. He would find out eventually, whether I told him myself or not.

"Well, I'm sorry, sugar," he told me, glancing over my shoulder at Edward. "You're gonna have to say goodbye now. Go upstairs and pack what's important to you. You've got twenty minutes to get finished before we get the hell out of here." The look in his eyes told me I had no choice but to comply. My heart constricted, the thought of leaving Edward and the only friends I'd ever had outside of my family making me physically ill. I nodded at him, tears welling up in my eyes. Like a robot, I walked up the front steps of the apartment building.

Edward began yelling at me to stop, but I never halted. Even as I heard my friends whispering to one another, I never looked back. Because it was easier that way, to not look back. I tried to never look back. Like a zombie, I walked into my apartment, the door already open, and saw Emmett pacing the floor, throwing his belongings into the duffel bag that he'd arrived with. His head jerked up as I walked through the door.

"Where have you been? Jasper's been looking for you for two hours!" he exclaimed, shoving the overflowing clothes into the duffel bag before zipping it up. Worry and concern covered my brother's face.

"Why is he here?" I whispered, completely ignoring his question. I don't know why I asked the reasoning for Jasper's arrival...I had a well enough guess. Emmett slung the duffel bag over one shoulder, staring at me intently.

"He finally got a lead on James, after all this time! One of Jasper's contacts spotted him not far from Memphis, at a gas station outside of Olive Branch. Jasper thinks he's on his way to find you. That's why we've got to move you to a different location."

Olive Branch sat a little over twenty miles southeast of Memphis. If Jasper and Emmett only knew that I saw James myself just hours before. "Where are y'all taking me?" I asked, as he closed my laptop on the table before shoving it into its bag.

"Jasper won't say. Somewhere further north. He doesn't think James will look for you up North." I remembered James' words...that he knew I'd never leave the South, and I almost snorted at the irony of it. Jasper was always one step behind him...I was always one step behind him.

"And you're going with me?" I asked. "That isn't fair. What about Rose? You're just going to give up and follow me wherever I go? Why are y'all willing to give up everything to protect me? You deserve a life of your own too..."

"Look," he said, staring at me with a seriousness that he normally didn't convey. "It's not our job, but it is _our decision _to protect you. James is a sick bastard and he's gonna do everything in his power to find you. If you think we're gonna just let you sit around waiting on him to grab you, you're wrong. I've got feelings for Rose, yeah, but you've been in my life a hell of a lot longer than her, and I'll be damned if I let something happen to you again. You and Jazz, you're my family."

Emmett disappeared through my apartment doorway and I slumped on the couch, rubbing my pounding temples at Emmett's words. I stared up at the clock on the wall. Twenty minutes. I had twenty minutes to take the most important things in my life with me...but I couldn't, because the most important things in my life were not physical possessions... The most important things in my life were not only my brother and cousin, but my friends...Tia, Carmen, Angela, Alice, Rose...and Edward. Fresh tears stung my eyes at the very idea of leaving Edward behind...of possibly never seeing him again. Edward, my friends, and Memphis...they were my life now.

The running had to stop. Strong Bella needed to wake up from where she was hiding, deep within me, and refuse to breakaway again. There would be no more running, no more hiding, no more looking over my shoulder every step of the way. Somehow this all had to end.

Jumping up from the worn, brown couch, I darted out of my apartment, passing a bewildered Angela in the hallway, a bag of groceries in her arms, no Eric in sight. I darted down the stairs, out of breath by the time I made it to the sidewalk where Edward stood red-face, yelling and glaring at Jasper as he gave him a lazy smirk, his arms crossed, leaning against the Charger. Emmett sat on the steps to the apartment building, his shoulders slumped, his face in his hands, the duffel bag and laptop sitting by his side. Tia and Carmen stood nearby, still whispering as they stared at Edward as he lost his mind, screaming at my passive cousin like a madman. Edward's bodyguard, Liam, stood closely by his boss, his hand wavering near his hip as he watched Edward flip out.

"Edward, I need to tell you about James," I blurted, interrupting his ranting scream.

Edward clenched his jaw, still glaring at Jasper. As gently as I could, I grabbed one of Edward's hands, squeezing it firmly. I could feel Jasper's blue eyes on me as Edward finally broke his vengeful glare at my cousin, looking down at me, his face softening only slightly.

"Who is James, baby?" he asked, squeezing my hand back as he stared into eyes. That's when I began speaking in a rush, the words spewing forth before I could be interrupted or distracted from telling this man the truth.

"He kidnapped me when I was thirteen," I rushed, blowing out a gust of air before taking another deep breath.

Edward's eyes widened, and then narrowed into angry little slits, his hand still wrapped around mine squeezing it tightly. Discomfort washed over me, not at Edward's firm grim, but because of the fact that I had to admit to the man I cared a great deal about that I was sexually assaulted as a teenager...practically still a child. My cheeks began to burn in humiliation and shame. This was something I should discuss with him alone, in private. I opened my mouth, stuttering slightly, still unsure whether to just spit it out, when Jasper, noticing my discomfort, smoothly interrupted.

"There's no need to go into details with your...friend, sugar" he said, gazing at me, his face void of emotion. "We're leaving. It doesn't matter what he knows. They're your demons, not his."

"Like hell, you're leaving. And like hell they're not my demons to share," Edward hissed, releasing his tight grip on my hand, balling his hands into tight fists, glaring at my cousin. "Are you here because of the man who kidnapped her? James? Is that the man on the video feed who grabbed you in the club last night?" Edward first glanced at Jasper, then to me, his face masked in hatred.

Pedestrians passed by us from time to time, avoiding eye contact with our emotionally unstable group as they shuffled quickly down the pavement.

Jasper's body stiffened, his face finally showing a look of worry and concern. The calm, cool façade had finally slipped away, at Edward's words. "He grabbed you? Bella, have you seen him? Have you seen James? Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell Emmett? Bella, is that why you drove to Orange Mound? Where you looking for James? Please tell me you weren't looking for him."

"She went to Orange Mound to buy a gun," a voice spoke up. I glanced at Carmen, shocked to find her and Tia still standing nearby. In the stress of the situation, I'd forgotten they were there. "I'm sorry, Bella. I know you didn't want anyone knowing, but this whole situation is crazy and completely out of our hands. Bella decided to buy a gun, not only to protect herself, but to go after James as well. That's what we went after, but things started to get a little crazy and the seller started to manhandle Bella. That's when Edward showed up. He protected her. Bella, we all love you and want to help you. Please let us help you."

Jasper's gaze settled on Edward as Carmen voiced Edward's heroism. He frowned slightly as he stared at Edward, his calculating eyes roaming his face.

"Running is not going to help me. At all," I replied bitterly, the brief anger I felt towards Carmen upon her admission of our whereabouts quickly slipping away.

There was no way I could stay angry at her when she was only trying to help me. I gave her a tiny smile that she quickly returned, looking vastly relieved.

"We should go inside, where it's more private to discuss this. It's not proper to discuss family business in mixed company," Jasper whispered, his eyes drifting to where Tia and Carmen stood and at a couple who passed our stiff bodies as we stood tensely on the sidewalk.

Jasper addressed my friends, who stared at him with their mouths open. "Ladies, Bella rudely failed to introduce me to her friends. I'm Jasper Swan. It's a pleasure to meet y'all," Jasper drawled in a sweet, Southern accent, thick as molasses. He shot them a sexy, soft smile, eliciting giggles from both girls.

"I'm Tia and this is Carmen," Tia said, gesturing to herself first and then to our friend. "It was nice meeting you...we understand that y'all want some privacy. We'll just be leaving now."

Jasper nodded in response, watching to two girls whisper and giggle to one another like two teenagers before stepping to the curb. I heard Carmen whisper, "I'm going home to rename my vibrator. How does 'Jasperator' sound?" Tia snickered loudly at they crossed the street, Jasper watching them with a crooked smile.

Edward spoke quietly to Liam, telling him to stay near the apartment building doors. We started up the steps as Jasper quietly explained to a deflated Emmett that we were going back to my apartment to discuss the situation at hand. Emmett nodded solemnly, standing and grabbing his things from the steps. I expected him to throw them in Jasper's car, but watched as he, instead, brought them with him up the steps as he silently followed Jasper, Edward and I back to my apartment. The three men sat silently at my small table as I dug around in the fridge, removing some leftovers and piling them on the counter. Edward protested, claiming he wasn't hungry, until he met my lethal stare, to which he quickly closed his mouth. They were silent as I warmed the food, not speaking until a plate sat in front of each of us.

"I'm not leaving," I told Jasper, shoving a spoonful of casserole into my mouth, the warm, familiar food relaxing me just a bit.

"You are leaving, especially if James is back in town. Tell me detail by detail what took place at the club last night," Jasper replied, his fork hanging in midair as he talked before quietly taking a bite of his own.

Emmett watched us in surprise, but didn't comment. He'd obviously missed that part of the conversation while we stood outside, lost in his own troubled thoughts.

I explained to the boys exactly what took place last night, leaving out my sexcapades with Edward, of course. I told them about James pulling me into the hallway, watching as Edward's eyes darkened over the fact that James had touched my breast. I told them what James said...how he threatened to kill the ones I loved. Then I told them about Tia calling me into the alley, to find Carmen standing over Drunk Jesus. I explained how Drunk Jesus described the man who assaulted him, how I called Legless Willie Curtiss, and how my friends and I drove to Orange Mound to illegally buy a gun. They stared at me with a mixture of anger, concern, bitterness and shock. When I finished my rant, I felt as though a great weight lifted from my chest.

"I'm calling my father," Edward announced, shoving his partly eaten meal away from him, standing and whipping out his cell. He scrolled through for a moment, mumbling, "My father is a powerful man. There are several people who I employee more than qualified to find this man...but my father's men are more experienced with this type of...situation. If anyone can find this James character and dispose of him discretely, it's Carlisle Cullen."

Jasper snickered softly, leaning back in my junky chair, intertwining his fingers together behind his head. "If anyone can find James and dispose of him, it's Jasper Swan. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. James is smart. Military smart. He can live off the land as long as he needs to, in the middle of nowhere. James has been virtually untraceable, until recently. He's gotten careless, and I'm praying that he remains that way. Let me take care of James. I'm Bella's family...practically her brother, no offense to you, Emmett. I love Bella and I can protect her. The best solution is to place Bella into hiding while I continue to hunt James down...and kill him."

"Bella is not leaving me!" Edward snarled, grasping his cell tightly in his hand, his green eyes blazing. "Besides, what makes you more qualified than my father to find this man? How do you know so much about my family? Are you some sort of bounty hunter or something?"

"I'm sorry, son. That's information that I can't disclose at this time. And it's not your decision to keep Bella here," Jasper drawled with a lopsided grin and amused expression on his face. Edward's face began changing colors...starting with red and slowly turning purple. A vein in his forehead stuck out and I swear it looked as though it were pulsating. I felt this was the perfect time to interrupt.

"No, it's not Edward's decision," I stated, standing and grabbing the dirty dishes. I disposed of the remains and began filling the sink with water and dishwashing liquid before scrubbing the dishes violently, taking out all my frustration on the dollar store dinnerware. Everyone looked up at me in surprise, as though they'd forgotten I was even there. "You know, it's kinda pathetic that you're all sitting around making these decisions for me without even asking my opinion about what to do with _my life_."

Everyone stared at me quietly as I continued to scrub, my face drawn up in anger. People have been making decisions for me my whole life...I was so sick and tired of it! This time_ I _would choose my path in life and no one would stand in my way!

"Bella's right," I heard my stepbrother say, shocking me enough that I dropped the plate I was holding to the bottom of the sudsy water. Glancing at the table, I met Emmett's solemn gaze. "Bella has a life here...a life of her own. It's not fair to rip that away from her. We should turn the video feed in to the cops and report to the authorities in Mississippi and Tennessee what happened in the club."

"And then what?" Edward asked my brother, cell phone still in his hand. The color in his face slowly began to turn a more normal shade, although the anger was still clear in his scowl. "We just wait for James to attack her again? I agree with Jasper, somewhat. Bella should go into hiding, but not away from here. She can stay with me. I'll protect her. I'll assign her a bodyguard to help, as well. At least until we find this James character. That's the best solution." My eyes widened in shock at his suggestion to stay with him.

The cocky grin left my cousin's face as he stared at Edward, raising one eyebrow. "You want Bella live with you...for Lord knows how long...until we find James? How long have the two of y'all been dating to suggest that sort of thing?"

Edward's eyes shifted to mine uncomfortably for a moment. He shoved his cell phone back into his pocket, looking slightly ashamed of himself. "We haven't been...dating exactly," he muttered, now avoiding my eyes as I dried my hands on a small towel, a thick fog of discomfort entering the room.

"But you said you were close," Jasper said, watching Edward carefully, noting the uncomfortable expression on his face. "What does that even mean, if you're not dating? You're close friends? Or something more? Please don't tell me Bella has been...romantic...with a man who hasn't properly courted her." Edward stared at the ground, clenching his jaw, looking thoroughly ashamed.

Although Jasper's father was a sick, crazy person with more than questionable morals, Jasper's mother, Charlotte Swan, instilled good, Southern values in her son. Jasper may have once been a cold-hearted killer, but he'd always been an old soul, believing that a man should properly date a woman and win her heart before taking things to another level. To him, Edward's suggestion for me to live with him was preposterous. If he only knew that it was I who seduced Edward Cullen.

"You're right. We've gone about things all backwards," Edward admitted sitting back down at the table, meeting Jasper's stoney, blue eyes. I leaned against the counter, peering at Edward curiously as me glanced up at me, his face remorseful. "I'll make things right, Jasper, starting with taking Bella on a proper date. And to prove to you that I only have honorable intentions in mind, I'm inviting you and Emmett to stay with me as well, as long as you need to. Lately I've lived in a loft downtown over the club, but I have a large home in Germantown. It's four bedrooms...one for each of us. You can stay as long as you like." I stared at him in surprise, not only at his offer to take my family into his home, but also because of how ironic it was that he lived in Germantown.

Germantown was a suburb of Memphis, a city where the wealthy and élite of Memphis and surrounding areas have lived for years. It was a city rich in history, being named in honor of the German settlers during the eight-hundreds. Over forty thousand people lived in Germantown, which lay about fourteen miles from my apartment. Germantown had an excellent police force compared to the area where I lived, making me think, bitterly, that money really does talk. I'd only passed through Germantown a few times, my eyes drifting through the windows of my old truck to gaze at the massive homes of the doctors, lawyers, businessmen and their families who dwelled there, wondering if they were happy inside their big fancy homes. I snorted at the irony of it all, causing the boys to look up at me curiously.

"Sorry," I chuckled bitterly. "It's just funny that you live in _German_town."

Edward and Emmett rewarded my comment with a sad smile as they thought of the predicament with our different heritage. Jasper continued to lean back in his seat with his fingers intertwined, not curious enough to ask what I meant by my comment, as he quietly pondered Edward's suggestion for us to all stay together, at least until James was found.

"I say we do it, Jazz," Emmett piped up, his forehead wrinkled in thought. "I say we join forces. Edward and his people...you, me, and our people. Maybe not Carlisle though, since he's not a big Bella fan at the moment. There's many folks out there that owe us some favors. So, we call them in and work out a plan. Bella can continue living as normally as any skinny, clutz can," he broke into a grin as I scowled at him. "She can keep working at the club and I'll keep an eye on her when she's there. I was going to ask for a job at the club anyway. Your security sucks."

Edward and Jasper listened to him as he spoke, meeting each other's eyes as he finished speaking. Edward nodded slowly, murmuring his approval of Emmett working at the club, after making him promise he'd be professional and leave his wiener costume at home. Emmett laughed heartily as Edward gave him a grin, Jasper watching the exchange in confusion. Then Edward shot me a serious look, his green eyes locking with my brown ones as he asked me quietly to stay with him for awhile. He was leaving the decision up to me...he was the first person to ever do that. He wanted me to stay with him. He wouldn't make me go with him, but he really wanted me to go.

Taking a deep breath, I explained to him that I needed a moment to think, retreating to my bedroom and shutting the door softly behind me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror over my dresser, meeting the eyes of a girl who had a big decision to make. Did I want to stay with Edward? Of course I did. All of my free time away from him was spent wishing he were near me, wondering what he was doing, where he was. This would be the perfect opportunity to get to know one another better, to make up for time lost in our rushed relationship.

Edward was willing to take me in, a girl with a tremendous amount of baggage and a psycho vigilante on her heels. He was also offering to take in my crazy brother and a mysterious cousin, who he really knew nothing about. At that moment, I realized that Edward truly cared a great deal about me, to take me and my family in. I wondered what would happen when his father found out. Would Carlisle be angry? Demand that we leave? I wasn't sure. But I was sure of one thing. I was going with him. I was going with the man I loved.

Emerging from the bedroom a few minutes later, I found my boys in deep conversation, which abruptly ended when my brother, not so discretely, nodded his head in my direction. The stopped talking, turning their attention to where I stood, leaning in the doorway of my bedroom.

"What are y'all talking about?" I asked curiously, propping a hand on one hip. They looked at each other guiltily for a moment, their lips forming a straight, hard line. It was almost comical how quickly they'd formed a union with one another. Rolling my eyes, I entered the kitchen area, placing my hands on Edward's shoulders, ignoring my cousin's stare, as I voiced my decision to go with Edward. Edward smiled, removing his phone from his pocket and placing a call, ordering someone to send some men to my apartment to begin packing my meager possessions. He ended the call and Emmett jumped up enthusiastically.

"We're movin' on up!" he began singing, swinging his arms and hips, dancing like George Jefferson, his large bulking frame moving with surprising grace. My father had been a huge fan of George Jefferson, watching old reruns at night, hooting in laughter at his antics. It was one of the few times I remember seeing my father laugh, and Emmett's dance brought a bittersweet smile to my face.

"As much as I'd love to watch Emmett dance the night away, I've gotta get ready for work," I said, smiling as my brother sang about deluxe apartments in the sky, his feet sliding against the cheap linoleum floor. Edward told me I didn't need to work, with the stress of the past few days undoubtedly weighing on my mind. I simply rolled my eyes, returned to my room, reached in my closet and removed the dress that his sister had dropped off a few days prior. All of the female staff at Fate would wear the same thing; a fitted black dress with quarter sleeves, ending between the knee and thigh. It was tight, but modest. Wearing heels was out of the question. I'd not only kill myself in them, but possibly everyone in my vicinity as well. I slipped my feet into a pair of simple, black flats and removed my locket with its broken chain from the jeans I'd thrown on the bed. Dropping it into my jewelry box, I removed the sparkling faux diamond choker and bracelet that Alice demanded I wear. After applying light makeup and brushing my hair, I grabbed my long, black coat, rejoining the boys in the kitchen. They stared at my bare legs with matching scowls on their faces.

"You know, not to know Edward very well, you have his scowl down pat," I mused with a smile, strolling into the bathroom to brush my teeth and spray on a tad of perfume.

Turning off the light, I left the bathroom, reaching for my coat that I'd tossed on the nearby empty chair. Edward jumped up quickly from the table, grabbing the coat and helping me slide it on, smiling patiently at my startled expression. He slowly buttoned the large buttons on the front, his pine eyes gazing at me through thick, dark eyelashes as his fingers worked the buttons between my breasts, causing me to take in a sharp breath. He took the belt of the coat and cinched it tightly at my waist, pulling me to his hard body as he did so, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

A few minutes later two men showed up to pack my belongings. I pulled out my cell, my fingers flying across the screen as I shot Angie a text, explaining that I was safe, but wouldn't be staying at my apartment for awhile. My phone dinged with a response moments later. Angie returned my text, stating that we would talk later and to be safe. I didn't reply, biting my lip at her words..._be safe_. Edward, Jasper, Emmett and I shuffled out of the apartment building. Couples walked the sidewalk, their arms wrapped around one another. Groups of young, drunken kids laughed loudly as the stumbled down the busy sidewalk. Edward wrapped one arm around my waist as we joined the foot traffic. Darkness had set in and I listened silently as my boys discussed the next few nights. Jasper would sit in the bar across the street, watching the club for any sign of James. Emmett would go in tonight and start his job as a bouncer for the club while also keeping an eye on me. Edward ridiculously insisted on bringing in a bodyguard for me that night, which I loudly disputed, trying to avoid bringing attention to myself. A bodyguard would just get in the way of me doing my job. Edward grumpily agreed, but placed a call to a man named Sam, who would be at my disposal with Edward's beckon call.

We parted ways with Jasper near the club and I watched as he strolled across Beale with his hands casually shoved in his pockets, passing a group of pretty girls who openly gawked at him. He gave them a sideways grin as he passed, his mouth moving as he politely greeted the girls. They watched him enter the bar across the street, giggling among themselves as they followed quickly behind. I shook my head at the overwhelming effect my cousin had on women, but of all the women he'd met over the years, he'd never met 'the one'. I knew when he did, it would hit him like a Mack truck.

Edward, Emmett and I arrived at the club, entering through the alley door which was now guarded by a tall, lean, slightly muscular man named Embry, who shot me a flirtatious grin. Edward glared dangerously at him and he replaced the grin with a mask of serious, but winked and grinned again when Edward looked away, deep dimples gracing his handsome face. I tried to hide my smile, but I'm sure Edward saw it as we slipped through the door.

"He must want a bullet to the head," Edward muttered.

Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I replied, "You can't kill every person that smiles at me, Edward."

He mumbled something below his breath that I didn't catch as the pounding of the music from the speakers drowned out his response as we enter the dark club, lit up only by the multicolored lights spinning above our heads. It was still several minutes until opening, so I clocked in, left my coat in the employee lounge, and joined Tia and Carmen, assisting them with stocking the bar, all under Edward's careful gaze. Taking a deep sigh, I wondered if he would be hovering around me all night and how long it would take for that to become extremely annoying.

Alice entered the club, shooting me a grin as Edward motioned for her to speak with him. They walked a few feet away, whispering quietly to one another, their eyes darting at mine occasionally and I imagined he was filling her in on the events of the day. I was drawn out of my revie by Carmen's northern accent.

"Where's that fuckhawt cousin of yours?" Carmen asked, wiping the bar down with a wet cloth. Tia, who stood nearby arranging bottles on a shelf, stopped what she was doing to hear my response, just as Edward's tiny sister popped up beside me at the bar.

"He's across the street," I shrugged, not going into detail. The less people knew, the better off they'd be.

"Who's across the street?" Alice asked curiously, adjusting a large, floral, jewel-encrusted hair comb, tucked neatly in her black pin curls. She wore a blood-red, sleeveless party dress with a large bow in the front and red heels with straps that crossed her slender ankles and ran halfway up her calves.

"My future husband," Tia smirked, turning back to the shelf with a smirk on her face.

Carmen glared at her and hissed, "I saw him first!"

"Jasper needs a good, Southern girl. Not some smart-ass Yankee," Tia snorted. "You've got a boyfriend anyway, ho."

"You've got a boyfriend?" I asked in confusion.

Carmen never mentioned having a boyfriend to me, as far as I could remember. I racked my brain trying to remember Carmen ever bringing up a boyfriend in any of our recent conversations. Had I been so wrapped up in my own problems that I'd completely missed out on something like that?

"He's not my boyfriend!" Carmen squealed, hitting Tia with her wet cloth as Tia wrinkled her nose in disgust at the dirty rag touching her dress. "We just met a few days ago. We've been on one date, but it was pretty awesome. He's super sweet. He calls or texts every day...says he can't wait to meet you guys."

I started to ask Carmen more about her new beau, but was quietly interrupted by Alice, who had a slightly sad, faraway look in her eyes.

"Your cousin's name is Jasper? I knew a Jasper once."

"What happened to him?" I asked curiously, leaning against the bar, staring at her grim, defeated face.

Alice sighed heavily and said, "I dunno. He just...appeared out of the blue and then disappeared just as quickly. You see, he was always popping up wherever I went. It was so weird. I saw him at the library first, then at the movies, sitting in the darkest corner. One night I walked into my favorite diner and there he sat. I worked up the nerve to talk to him...he was very handsome...We sat in the diner for hours talking about everything. We just...clicked. That was last time I ever saw him. There was a connection there that I'd never felt before and haven't felt since. At the time I thought it was fate that we always showed up at the exact same place, at the exact same time. I guess he didn't feel the same way," she shrugged, the spark in the normally vivacious woman gone. "I gave him my number, but he never called."

I murmured my sympathy for the poor girl, gently squeezing her hand as Carmen and Tia gave her genuinely sympathetic smiles. She shrugged again before excusing herself and shuffling towards the restroom. I started to follow her, but decided that maybe she needed a moment to herself.

After that, Emmett opened the doors and the club slowly started to fill with laughing, happy customers. I ran from table to table, filling drink orders and giving the customers huge fake smiles, my mind a million miles away. Was it just last night that I stood in this very same building and came face to face with James? The same building where I fought Edward's ex? The same building where Edward and I made love for the very first time?

I gnawed on the corner of my lip with the memory of Edward's hands, lips, tongue all over my body. Glancing around, I noticed Edward chatting with some customers, his eyes straying from them time to time to meet mine. When I walked to the bar to grab a round of shots for a bunch of rowdy young men, I felt a warm hand on my elbow, making me jump in surprise. Edward mumbled his apologizes, looking closely in my eyes.

"What's the matter, baby?" he asked, his mouth close to my ear. His warm, minty breath sending shock waves throughout my body, causing me to shudder in pleasure. I looked up at him through my lashes, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. His piercing, green gaze landed there and I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"I'm just remembering the best part of last night," I replied, batting my eyelashes, possibly looking like an idiot. Apparently not, because Edward took a ragged breath, placing his hand on the small of my back.

"I'm trying to act like a gentlemen, Bella," he hissed, licking his lips as he glared down at me. "But you're making it very difficult for me by sucking on your lip like that. I ought to take you upstairs and punish you...but, as much as I hate to admit it, your cousin terrifies me. He seems like to type that would act as though nothing was wrong before walking into my bedroom in the middle of the night and shooting me in the head." Ah, how right he was. But Jasper would never shoot the man who I loved.

"Jasper will be asleep at some point tonight," I whispered, grabbing the tray of drinks and turning to deliver it to my eager customers. "I may just have to sneak into your bedroom tonight, Mr. Cullen."

I swung my hips as I walked away, grinning at the groan that came from his mouth. I spent the rest of my night at work wiggling my butt around or finding an excuse to bend over any time I felt Edward's eyes on me, causing a few guys to flirt and stare at me, adding fuel to the fire that burned in Edward's eyes. I knew exactly how to work Edward into a frenzy, and I had to press my thighs together as I thought of the many ways he could punish me for my outlandish behavior.

As closing time approached and the crowd eventually dwindled away, I met up with my brother near the dreaded hallway as Edward slipped my coat on from behind, pressing his erection against me as he cinched the belt. I moaned softly and heard Emmett make fake gagging noises as he glowered at us. Snickering, I turned my head, catching Edward's eyes with my own. He leaned down, pressing his warm mouth against mine, completely ignoring the fact that my brother was standing nearby.

"Gah, get a room!" Emmett muttered as we broke our kiss. The fire in Edward's eyes burned bright and I knew I'd sparked that fire, a fire that could only be extinguished by sneaking into his bedroom later tonight.

"Don't be jealous, Em," Edward said, in a joking tone that I'd never heard him use before. "It's not our fault you can't seal the deal with Rose."

Emmett looked too shocked at Edward's tone to seem mad, only muttering, "That was a low blow, brother. It's just a matter of time before she's putty in my hands. Women can't resist the old Emmett charm."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's get out of here," Edward told my brother with a grin, sliding one arm around my waist as we walked across the almost deserted club.

Tia, Carmen and Alice were standing near the doors chatting with one another quietly, the emotion of my conversation with Alice earlier in the night still clear on her delicate features. We all walked out together, with Edward locking up behind us. The plan was for Jasper to meet us in front of the club and as I glanced across the street I noticed him leaning against the bar he'd been staked out at all night, one boot clad foot propped up against the wall behind him as he smoked his small cigar, smoke rings drifting lazily above shaggy, blonde head. Our eyes met at the exact moment, but as Alice walked around me, chuckling quietly at something Tia said, I watched as Jasper dropped his cigarillo to the ground. He stared at Alice intently, his blue eyes full of dread before dropping his foot from where it sat propped behind him on the wall and slowly backing into the bar. His eyes met mine one last time, evoking a silent plea before the bar swallowed him up. Alice noticed my intense gaze, following my eyes to the bar across Beale.

"What are you staring at, Bella?" she asked, peering first at the bar and then into my worried brown eyes.

"Nothing," I whispered.

At that moment I knew that _Alice's_ Jasper was also_ my_ Jasper, as well.

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**A/N:**** What? What is the deal with Jasper and Alice? Why****_ is _****Jasper hiding from Alice? Did you like the chapter? Should Bella sneak into Edward's room in chapter thirteen and make him some lemonade? What's Daddy Cullen going to say when he finds out the Swan clan is moving in with Edward? Review! Review! Review!**


	13. Chapter 13: Dreaded Truth

**A/N****: I loved the reviews! Some were close, but not spot-on! Guess you'll keep having to read and review to find out!**

**whoknew20**** and ****shortfuse28****: stop what you're doing (unless you're operating heavy machinery) and stop salivating! Here's your update!**

**cbmorefi****e:You're right; that would be cruel...**

**tee24****: I got your 'good-ass pond swimma'. I knew I shoulda left you in the projects of Atlanta last year when we got lost, surrounded by half-naked gang members and crackheads. Or maybe I shoulda thrown you in the Atlantic Ocean...Now hush with your threats or I'm gonna give Tia a horrible case of 'the clap'.**

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_Previously, in Chapter Thirteen..._

_I watched as Jasper dropped his cigarillo to the ground. He stared at Alice intently, his blue eyes full of dread before dropping his foot from where it sat propped behind him on the wall and slowly backed into the bar. His eyes met mine one last time, evoking a silent plea before the bar swallowed him up. Alice noticing my intense gaze, following my eyes to the bar across Beale._

_"What are you staring at, Bella?" she asked, peering first at the bar and then into my worried brown eyes._

_"Nothing," I whispered, and at that moment I knew that Alice's Jasper was also my Jasper, as well._

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**Chapter Thirteen: Dreaded Truth**

Alice stared at me unconvincingly for a long moment. I returned her gaze, breaking my eyes from the bar across the street. A chirping sound from deep inside my coat pocket made me yelp in surprise. My group of friends turned, startled at the sound I made. Edward grabbed the gun from his waist, his head darting around the street.

"Put that away! It's just my phone!" I hissed as a group of older, drunk, scantily clad women jumped startled from the sidewalk at the sight of Edward and his gun. Looking vastly relieved, he returned the gun to his waistband, shoving his hands into his pants and glancing around casually, as if nothing had taken place.

I fished my cell from my pocket, pressing a button on the bottom of the phone. It lit up, a partial text from my cousin flashed across the screen. I swiped my finger against the screen and clicked the text app. Jasper's name popped up at the top of the screen and I quickly read the text, holding my phone as discreetly as possible from any prying eyes.

Nov 2, 2012 1:33 AM: Meet me at my car in front of your apartment. Lose the little one.

I chewed on my lip thoughtfully as I slid the phone back in my pocket. Alice told me that for some reason Jasper appeared wherever she went. Why would he do that...unless he was watching her for some reason? A thought, an idea, began forming in my mind, but the idea was so outrageous, I shoved it away, not ready to even consider the possibility that it could be true.

"Jasper is going to meet us at his car. He got held up," I told Edward vaguely, avoiding his eyes, trying to steady my wavering voice. Edward watched my face carefully, but just nodded in response.

"Do you mind if I crash upstairs tonight?" Alice asked Edward, sounding tired, her face still a little sad. "I'm plumb wore out. I just don't have the energy to walk to my car and I'd hate to ask Embry to carry me," she joked, giving her brother a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Sure," Edward replied, tossing her his set of keys that she caught easily in her tiny hand. "But Embry is staying with you. I don't want anyone staying in the loft alone with Bella's stalker possibly still in the area."

"He always walks me to my car. He's probably waiting on me in the alley. I'll run and get him," Alice responded, starting to walk away. Edward grabbed her arm, shaking his head firmly.

"Don't ever go in another alley unless I'm with you. Do you understand?" he asked her in a firm, yet gentle voice. His eyes bored into hers with intensity.

"He's right, little bit," Emmett said, ruffling her hair softly. She ducked away from his big hands, glowering at him ferociously.

"That goes for all of you, ladies," Edward told me, Tia and Carmen. I nodded, my eyes breaking over his shoulder at the bar across the street, the bar my cousin found himself stranded in. Edward called Embry on his cell and I waited impatiently, shifting my weight from one foot to the other until he emerged from the alley, shooting me that same flirtatious grin from earlier that night. He tried, unsuccessfully, to hide it from Edward who glared at him.

"Alice is staying the night in the loft. You stay with her and keep her safe. No funny business either. You got it?" Edward hissed, watching as Embry's eyes wandered back to mine.

"Yes, sir," he responded, giving him a mock salute.

Embry took the keys from Alice's hands, unlocking the building and gesturing her to enter, his arms sweeping towards the door dramatically. He locked his eyes with mine one last time as Alice bid us farewell, Embry pulling the door securely behind. I heard the locks clicking as we slowly began walking away from the building. My hands were trembling and I shoved them into my deep pockets, blaming the decreasing temperature when Edward shot me a questioning gaze. Liam appeared at our side, his gaze darting around the street looking for any possible threat to our safety. We left Tia and Carmen at the parking garage near Beale, watching as they safely left in Carmen's white SUV, the exhaust leaving white puffs of smoke drifting through the air in their wake.

Emmett began talking excessively about something, but I wasn't really paying attention to him, lost in my own thoughts. As we rounded a corner, I saw Jasper stroll out of an alley, hands in his pockets, his gait casual. Somehow he'd beaten us, and as we caught up with him, he gave us a charming smile.

"What happened to you?" Edward asked him gruffly, peeved that he'd changed their carefully arranged plans.

"I apologize," Jasper drawled, glancing above his head. I looked up to see a sky full of beautiful, twinkling stars. "They's a group of girls in there goin' hog wild. It got pretty ugly."

"Man, I know how you feel," Emmett shuddered as we finally arrived in front of my apartment building. "I've never felt so dirty and cheap. I was letting folks in the club and these girls started rubbing on my arms and stuff. I thought I was gonna have to beat 'em with a stick."

Jasper laughed, digging around in his jeans for his keys. He unlocked the car and pulled his seat up to let me slide into the backseat. The interior was just as I remembered; black leather and clean. Jasper loved his car and cared for it as though it were his child. Edward stood outside of the car speaking quietly to Liam before Liam nodded and trotted to the SUV Edward arrived in Orange Mound in. Liam hopped in the vehicle, slamming the door behind him and starting the engine. Edward met my eyes through the glass. He slid in beside me, still gazing at me with concern.

"Jasper, just follow Liam to my house," Edward instructed, shooting me a sideways glance.

The muscle car roared to life and Jasper pulled out behind the shiny SUV. The engine rumbled and the car vibrated as we rolled down the near desolate street. I felt Edward's warm hand on mine, pulling me from my innermost thoughts of Jasper and Alice. If anything could distract me, it was the handsome man sitting beside me, rubbing circles on my palm with his thumb, the action somehow sending quivers from my belly to an area further south.

Jasper and Emmett chatted quietly from their bucket seats, not paying attention to the passengers in the back. Releasing my hand from Edwards, I slowly began unbuttoning my coat, removing the belt and sliding the coat from my shoulders. I lifted my bottom and tossed the coat casually over my lap. Edward stared at me with a questioning look that I returned with a smirk.

Grabbing his hand, I pulled it below the coat, placing it firmly on my bare thigh, covering my mouth to hide the giggle that threatened to erupt from the shocked expression on Edward's face. His hand squeezed my thigh firmly and then his fingers slowly crept up my inner thigh. I wiggled around a bit, the vibration of the engine and my sexy man's fingers making me crazy.

"So, Eddie, tell me about your house. I bet it's hella big, right? Cat daddy that you are," Emmett said with a laugh. Edward stopped his exploration of my thigh, making me pout. I grasped his hand firmly and brought it closer to the motherland.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you can say that," Edward croaked, clearing his throat upon speaking.

Edward's fingers continued their path as he shifted slightly in his seat, turning to face me slightly, with the appearance of leaning towards the boys up front to converse with them.

"It's four bedrooms, five bathrooms and three half-bathrooms," he told them, his fingers finally reaching the front of my panties. He pushed on my thighs with his hand, and I spread them open, my breathing becoming labored. "It has a gym, sauna, pool, pool house, guest house..." he babbled on and on in a casual voice, but I honestly couldn't pay attention, because his fingers then shoved my short dress up as he slipped his long fingers beneath my panties.

Edward flicked a finger against my clit and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. Smirking at my state of arousal, he continued chatting with my boys, but I ignored his voice, lost in my pleasure.

He toyed with my clit, rolling it around between his fingers as he droned on and on about his house. Then he began twisting and pinching it as I continued to bite my lip until I tasted blood. His fingers drifted ever further south. He stroked my opening with two fingers and he continued to massage my clit with his thumb. Without warning he plunged the two fingers deep inside me...as deep as his awkward position could allow, making me quietly gasp as I grasped the leather seat. He couldn't quite reach my spot, but it didn't matter. He pumped his fingers in and out, abandoning my clit for a moment, teasing me by the absence of his thumb. I felt myself becoming wetter and wetter as I began grinding my hips as discretely as I could, clutching the leather in my hands, wanting to scream. He toyed with my clit again, and as he leaned forward to say something to Emmett, he shoved his fingers in hard, hitting my spot for the first time, and I couldn't stop the garbled sound that left my mouth, as I felt myself clenching around his pounding fingers, wetness seeping out of me.

Taking a deep, ragged breath, I met Jasper's gaze as he peered at me curiously over one shoulder. "You alright, honey?"

I began stuttering and mumbling, glaring at Edward as he too gave me a curious look, pretending to be non the wiser.

"What's going on back there?" Emmett laughed, shooting Edward a knowing gaze as we turned another corner. "Y'all not gettin' freaky back there are you?"

My cheeks turned red. Edward winked at me, his fingers still inside of me. He removed them slowly, running them over my overly sensitive bud before pulling them from beneath my coat. He leaned back in his seat staring at me for a while before I finally met his gaze. Edward took his fingers, wet from being inside me, and began licking them very slowly, staring at me with dark eyes. My mouth dropped open as he thoroughly cleaned my juices from his fingers. Then he shot me a wicked wink and looked away, placing a bored expression on his face.

"This is it, up here," he told Jasper as we turned another corner.

I wiggled miserably in my seat, aroused once again by watching Edward lick myself off of his fingers. Liam pulled up to a huge gate, surrounded by a giant, gray stone fence, so tall that you couldn't possibly see over it by standing on the sidewalk, even if you jumped. I watched curiously as Liam typed in some sort of code and pressed his thumb against a machine. The gates quickly opened and Jasper followed behind him as well pulled up a winding driveway. I gasped at the massive house that stood before me.

The word 'house' didn't do it justice. It was a monstrosity of a mansion, made of deep gray brick adorned with large windows, the roof slanting this way and that, shaped like the curved roof of a castle in some areas. The walkway swirled around to the giant, arched wooden doors in the front of the home, wrapping around perfectly sculpted scrubs and trees. I saw at least one balcony, wrapped in a pretty, thick white rail in the front of the two-story home. We followed Liam around the driveway to one side of the house where he parked the SUV in front of one of two garages. Emmett whistled loudly as he opened his door, staring up at the ostentatious house.

"Man, you're doin' pretty good for yourself, huh?" he told Edward, pulling his seat forward to let me out.

I clutched my coat tightly to my chest, completely intimidated by the house in front of me. I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my life. My hometown housed run-down homes and trailers. I bit my lip nervously as I stared up at the place that Edward called home. A warm arm encircled my waist as Edward appeared by my side, pulling me to him as he kissed me sweetly on the forehead.

"Breath, baby," he whispered, and I obliged, taking a deep breath.

Liam spoke quietly to Edward, asking him if he required his services any longer that night. Edward dismissed him and I watched as he walked down a winding walkway, lined with small, soft yellow lights, disappearing behind a mass of trees.

"He lives in the guest house, along with two other security agents," Edward explained, and I nodded as he pulled me to a large, wooden arched door, tucked neatly between two arched stone columns.

Jasper and Emmett followed us, their eyes taking everything in as we arrived at the door. Edward slid a key into the door, pulling it open and we walked into a large hallway. I followed Edward inside and gasped, yet again, as we entered a kitchen that even Paula Deen would drool over. Shiny oak cabinets covered one wall, with large professional appliances tucked neatly in between. A curved marble island stood in the middle of the room with a long, curvy marble bar a few feet away, complete with a sink and small, fancy potted plants dotting the surface. The marble was a mixture of cream, tan and black; the floor I stood on was a creamy beige marble as well. Emmett drooled over the large subzero fridge state stood silently before him. Jasper glanced around the room lazily, appearing unimpressed.

"So...y'all want a tour?" Edward asked, watching as I worked my bottom lip.

"Do we want a tour? Heck yeah, we want a tour!" Emmett cried enthusiastically, a huge grin crossing his handsome face.

"Okay...I guess we'll start down here and go up...then I'll leave the basement for last. After we go down there, you probably won't wanna leave," Edward laughed, pulling me closer to him as we left the kitchen and entered a sitting area.

Large, deep green leather couches sat strategically around the room, all facing a coffee table covered with magazines and books. He led us from room to room, the designs of each one flowing easily with one another. Neutral colors decorated each room with splashes of deep green, burgundy and navy. The walls were a pretty cream color. He showed us the 'TV' room as he called it, which was basically a large room filled with leather furniture facing the largest flat-screen television I had ever seen. He let us peep into his office, telling us firmly that no one came in there without his permission. The office was the only room so far that wasn't painted the cream color, instead oak covered the walls and floor, the wooden floor covered in burgundy, green, navy, and gold Persian rugs. A large desk sat in front of a wall made of shelves, bursting with books.

"I think you may like this room," Edward told me, pulling my hand as he opened a door. He gestured for me to enter a room as he flipped on a light, and I stared at the near empty room before me, my eyes zeroing in on my old sewing machine that sat near a window.

"It's bare now, but I'm pretty sure you will find a way to fill it up," he explained, glancing at my confused eyes shyly. "When I bought the house the realtor explained that this was a hobby room. I don't really have any hobbies, but I thought maybe you could turn it into a sewing room...or whatever you want."

Jasper and Emmett walked in behind us, glancing around at the bare room curiously, but I ignored them, my heart swelling from Edward's sweet gesture. I turned, wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. He beamed down at me as he hugged me back tightly, gazing into my eyes with an expression that I couldn't quite grasp.

"Okay, okay, break it up you too," Emmett joked. Edward smiled at him as we broke apart, taking my hand and pulling me from the room as he switched off the light.

Edward let us up a curved stairway to the second floor, gesturing from bedroom to bedroom, telling Emmett and Jasper they had their pick of where to stay. Each bedroom had a bathroom and sitting room attached with each sitting room filled with soft, creamy leather furniture and a television. I walked down the hallway glancing at the walls which were sunken in along the way, pretty antique vases on display inside. They were very old and very ordinate, and I wondered if they'd been in Edward's family a long time.

"Here's your room, baby," Edward whispered, abandoning Emmett and Jasper, pulling me into a bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. "Unless you want to switch with Emmett or Jasper."

My feet hit a deep, golden carpet, the same color of the drapes that hung lazily from large windows that overlooked the property. A set of doors stood against one wall leading out to the balcony that I had spotted upon our arrival. The room was full of antique wooden furniture, the surface shining under a gold chandelier which hung from the ceiling. A large bed stood against one wall, covered in gold and burgundy, with matching throw pillows piled on near the headboard. Cardboard boxes filled one side of the room, full of the belongings that Edward's men packed at my apartment. I noticed my grandmother's wing-back chair sitting near a small table with a large pretty lamp perched on top. I looked at Edward curiously.

"I told them to leave the furniture, except for the chair," he admitted, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my left ear. "I'm rather fond of that old chair."

"It was my grandmother's chair," I replied, gazing tenderly at the chair that happened to match the room perfectly. "I loved her very much. She took care of me when I was very young. She passed away right before my mother did," I explained, walking over to the old chair and running my finger against the old fabric.

"You say that like she was the only one who took care of you..." Edward replied, crossing the room to wrap his arms around me, kissing me delicately on the back of my head. I leaned into him and he began swaying softly from side to side as we both gazed down at the chair.

"My mother had emotional problems," I admitted after a long pause. "She was a very sweet person...when she was awake. Most of the time she stayed in the bed. She suffered from deep depression. She eventually committed suicide by overdosing on prescription medication."

Edward stopped swaying, stiffening at my admission. I was unsure if I simply shocked him, or if there was something more. He took a deep breath, then whispered, "My mother suffered from depression for a long time. She lost a child...my brother...when I was younger. He died from SIDS. I don't know if you know what SIDS is...it's Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. No one really knows what causes it. She put him in his crib and when she awoke the next morning...he was just...gone. She panicked and called 911, but it was too late. Mama spent years blaming herself. One day she just couldn't take it anymore. She took a handful of sleeping pills. Thank God my father found her in time. An ambulance took her to the hospital and pumped her stomach. Father put her in a facility that specializes in depression. She still gets sad from time to time, but she knows how to handle it now. Sometimes I wonder if that's why she wants me to have children so bad. I think she secretly wants to make up for time lost with her baby boy."

"Oh, Edward, that's so sad," I murmured, turning around and wrapping my arms around my neck, meeting his grim green eyes. "How awful to lose a child!" The thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

"It was pretty bad...besides his death, my mother had a lot of complications from her pregnancy, resulting in a hysterectomy. She couldn't have anymore children...he was her third child."

"Oh, no! You're poor mother! She's such a sweet person! I hate that she's been through so much," I whispered, tears springing forth in my eyes. He pushed his face into my hair, hiding himself from my sorrowful eyes.

"Do you ever...get angry at your mother for what she did?" Edward asked me quietly. "I'm not saying you_ should _be angry with her, but I've struggled with what happened for years and I find myself at times being very angry at her."

I chewed on my lip thoughtfully. "There are times that I get furious over what she did, the decision that she made to end her life and leave her family behind. Why would someone willingly do something so selfish? But, I realized over the years that my mother was simply sick. I can't blame her for what she did to herself. I blame the sickness, the depression."

"I've never told anyone what happened to my mother," he admitted quietly. "I've never trusted anyone enough to share that information without judging her or our family unfairly." We stood for a long time just holding each other until I heard the unmistakable sound of my brother barging through the door, unannounced.

"I swear I can't leave y'all alone for two minutes..." he grumbled, shaking his head in disappointment. He still wore the black shirt with the word 'Security' scrolled across the front of his muscled chest.

"What happened to the tour, man?" he asked Edward, his bottom lip sticking out slightly, a faux pouty expression on his face. I spotted Jasper through my bedroom door leaning on the elegant rail that overlooked the floor below us. Edward gave me one last chaste kiss and led us down the hallway.

"You can take the stairs to the basement or you can use this," he said, gesturing at the wall in front of him, where two huge, wooden doors stood. He pressed a gold button on a panel near the doors and I heard the unmistakable sound of an elevator lifting before the doors slid quickly open.

"Whaaattttt? An elevator in your house? That's awesome," Emmett whispered, in awe. Jasper and I exchanged incredulous glances, to which he simply shrugged, following Edward, Emmett and I into the elevator.

Edward pressed a button labeled 'B' and the doors closed, the elevator descending. I gripped the shiny handrail behind me. Elevators typically causing me to feel a bit wary. We arrived at our destination and the doors slid open, yet again. We walked into a room, Emmett and even Jasper gasping at what lay before us.

The basement covered the entire length and width of the house, broken down into sections. Soft, leather furniture, filled one area, stationed around an entertainment center filled with game stations and video games. Old fashioned pinball games and vintage video game machines lined the walls around that area of the room. There was a kitchen in one area complete with a bar and a stage stood in another area, a huge TV and karaoke machine nearby. Two pool tables stood at one end of the basement, low lights hanging overhead. The room echoed with soulful music and I spotted an old-fashioned jukebox nearby. Another door led to a room full of gym equipment that looked brand new.

"This is freaking unbelievable!" Emmett screamed, darting across the room to the Pacman machine. He began playing immediately, his eyebrows knotted in concentration as he jerked on a joystick.

"He's never going to leave this room," I whispered to Edward, nodding toward Emmett. He chuckled quietly and I watched Jasper stroll to the jukebox, picking out a Waylon Jennings tune, a soft smile on his face as _I'm A Ramblin' Man _filled the room. He racked the balls on a pool table and began playing solo, expertly shooting ball after ball into each pocket.

"You haven't even seen my favorite part of the house yet," he smirked, taking the coat from my arms and slipping it on me. "It's outside though. Come on." I followed him to a wall lined in glass. He opened the glass doors, gesturing for me to walk ahead of him, in true gentlemanly fashion. I walked outside, my shoes clicking against stone, and gasped at the sight before me.

The backyard held a large, rock waterfall, the water cascading down into a beautiful swimming pool, surrounded with large, tropical looking plants. Small rust-colored metal chairs with matching tables and lazy lounge chairs rested near the pool. He led me to a covered porch, tucked under the roof of his home, with an outdoor kitchen made of grey, slate stones. Thick cushioned chairs tucked beneath the gray stone-covered porch, a large table filled with smaller chairs stood nearby. A wet bar sat to the side, probably filled to the brim with everyone's favorite poison. He grasped my hand, pulling me down a curved sidewalk around the corner of the house. I heard running water and spied a smaller waterfall and fish pond, a large garden bench swing sitting nearby filled with soft, fluffy pillows. Multicolored rocks surrounded the pond and I saw gold, pink and purple reflections of large fish swimming in its depths. Plants and shrubs lined the area, and I knew immediately that I would spend all of my free time on that swing.

"This was my mother's idea. She calls it a reading garden," he told me softly, watching with a crooked grin as I stared open-mouthed at the garden. Remnants of red roses hung from a trellis, their petals slowly falling to the ground as the coolness of fall finally set in.

"It's very pretty in the spring...I can't wait for you to see it then," he murmured, turning me around to face him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pressed my head to his chest, my chest tight, as I knew spring was a long time away. Hopefully James would be found by then, and I would be safe, no longer having an excuse to stay with Edward.

"I would love to visit you in the spring," I replied, feeling his muscles tighten beneath my arms.

"What do you mean by 'visit'?" he asked, pushing me far enough away to stare deeply into my eyes.

"Hopefully James will be found before then. There'll be no reason for me to stay with you any longer. I can't live here forever," I mumbled, honestly.

He cupped my face in his hands, his fingers brushing my cheeks roughly. I could feel the anger vibrating through his body as I avoided his eyes. "Baby, I want you to stay with me forever. Are you already planning your escape?"

"No...I just," I struggled to come up with a way to convey the thoughts churning through my mind. "I just don't want you to feel _obligated_ to let me and my family stay with you."

He sighed deeply, pulling me back in his arms. "I don't feel obligated...I feel blessed to have you stay with me in my home. With you here, it finally feels like a real home. I bought this house with intentions to start a family here some day...and I want to start that family with you...if you'll have me."

I pondered his words for a second, his father's voice drifting uninvited through my mind. "What about your father's beliefs? Are you going to go against them? What does that mean for you, in the end? You're willing to lose it all for a girl you hardly know..."

"Yes," he whispered, his mouth capturing mine. I moaned as his tongue demanded entrance into my mouth, which I allowed. He ran his fingers through my hair, pulling my face back, his mouth wandering from my mouth down my neck. "Now lets get inside before we get caught in the garden doing some very naughty things," he hissed, his mouth leaving my neck. I pouted and he removed his hands from my hair, grabbing my hand and giving me an evil grin.

He pulled me back into the house through a side door, leaving Emmett and Jasper to their games. We forgoed the elevator, taking the stairs instead back to my bedroom. Edward helped me unpack for awhile, only removing a few belongings that I would need that night; sleep clothes, underwear, toiletries. Edward looked completely ridiculous as he dropped an armload of panties and bras on my bed. When he saw the outfit I planned on wearing the next day he scowled. He insisted that I go shopping with his sister, which horrified me to no end as I remembered the last shopping trip that she dragged me on as she darted from store to store. Surely a shopping trip would be a hundred times more stressful.

Jasper and Emmett emerged from their playroom minutes later voicing loudly that they were going to get some sleep as it was quickly approaching four o'clock. Jasper gave Edward a stern look as he instructed me to get some rest as well. Edward simply smiled as I rolled my eyes, huffing as I told them all to take a hike. They all left, Edward giving me a sneaky wink before he pulled the door firmly behind him. Excitement began bubbling in my belly as I grabbed a pair of soft, grey boxers and a white wife beater. Shrugging at my lack of sexy sleepwear, I jumped in the luxurious shower, soaping my body up with my favorite honeysuckle-scented body wash. Impatiently, I shaved every stray hair from every important area of my body, as I took the world's quickest shower. After towel drying my smooth body, I lotioned it up, throwing on my clothes and wrapping the damp towel around my head. Drying my hair with the towel, I watched the clock, wanting to wait at least a few more minutes to sneak downstairs to where Edward had pointed to the door of his master bedroom during our tour. After running leave-in conditioner through my hair, I slowly brushed it, biding my time as I peered at myself in the mirror. The girl standing across for me looked extremely excited, her eyes wide in wonder and a small smile on her face.

After waiting an excruciating amount of time, I tossed the damp towel in a hamper in the restroom and crept to my bedroom door, my hair hanging in wet tendrils down my back. I twisted the knob, slipping into the softly lit hallway, turned and gasped in shock.

Emmett sat in a country-looking floral chair near bed bedroom door. Green gunk covered his face and cucumber slices covered his eyes. His head lay slumped to one side of the chair, making me wonder if he might be asleep. His arms crossed his muscled chest, one leg propped on the other. Apparently he was guarding my door...while exfoliating.

I tried to slip unnoticed by my very strange brother, but stumbled graceless over his big foot, waking him up during the process of my escape.

"Thanks a lot, Bells!" he exclaimed, the cucumbers sliding from his face and down his shirt. He threw his hands up in frustration. "I just lost two hundred dollars _that I don't have _to Jasper. Son of a..."

"Y'all bet on me?" I hissed, my eyes darting down the long hallway towards Jasper's room. "Did y'all bet that I'd sneak down to Edward's room tonight?" Emmett nodded, glowering at me in frustration, looking like an angry green hulk.

"You can still win the bet, Em," I whispered, giving him a conspirative wink.

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I'm serious. Just sit here for awhile...pretend you never saw me. I'll be back in my bed before sunrise. Jasper will never have to know."

Emmett dropped the critical look, shooting me a lopsided grin as he nodded for me to walk down the stairway. I practically ran, somehow convinced Emmett would change his mind. Sneaking across the house, my bare feet cold on the marble floors, I found Edward's room and tapped lightly on the large wooden door, shifting my weight from foot to foot impatiently.

The door eventually opened and Edward's head poked out, a grin on his devilishly angelic face as he stared at my white wife beater, licking his lips. He gestured for me to enter the room, and I did, my eyes honing in on the massive bed that lay before me. I swear, it was the biggest bed I'd ever seen, and low to the ground, swathed in gold and red. The room held cherry wood antique furniture and Victorian style chairs. The walls were the same gold and a large chandelier hung from the ceiling as well, graced with old oil paintings and elegant mirrors...but I really didn't have time to get a good look at any of it, because Edward Cullen stood beside me, staring at my straining nipples through my thin wife beater. He wore nothing but a pair of boxers, and was stroking himself through those boxers.

The bandage that had previously clung to Edward's left ribcage long was gone. I gasped at the black ink cursive quote scrolled across his rib cage...one of my favorites; a quote which Edward had read aloud from the dog-eared page in my Emily Dickenson book as he sat in my grandmother's chair.

_It's all I have to bring to-day,_ _This, and my heart beside,_ _This, and my heart, and all the fields,_ _And all the meadows wide._

"Don't over think it baby," he whispered. "Don't let it interfere with what I'm about to do to you."

Edward shoved me against the wall, hissing, "I was easy on you the last time...but I don't think I'll be so gentle tonight. Is that what you want, my dirty girl? Do you want it gentle...or rough?" He cupped my breasts, grinding himself against me, his hard length pressing into my belly as he pinched my nipples. Hard.

"Rough," I gasped, watching as the evil grin slipped from his face and his green eyes darkened with desire.

Edward took the wife beater in both hands, ripping it in half from the neck down, exposing my breasts as he sucked one nipple in his mouth, releasing it was a loud 'pop' before devouring the other one. I moan, pulling his copper-colored hair with my hands as he slipped on hand beneath my boxers.

"No panties. I knew you were a bad girl," he spat, working my small nub between his fingers before plunging two fingers deep into my folds, without warning, causing me to shout. He explored my inner walls until finding my spot, pressing it firmly with the pads of my fingers. Covering my mouth, I attempted to muffle my screams.

"No one can hear you," he gasped, falling to his knees and yanking down my boxers. I lifted one foot and then the other as he tossed them carelessly over one shoulder. "Sound proof walls. Scream all you want."

Edward shoved one of my legs up and began sucking and biting my tender nub as I stood on one shaky leg. He placed his hands on each leg, to help support me and continued to lick and suck, my hips meeting his tongue as my body rolled uncontrollable to his tongue. He dropped one hand from my leg and plunged two fingers inside me, pumping feverishly, hitting my spot each time, staring up at me as he sucked loudly on my clit. I stared down at him, his dark eyes locked on mine and came undone at the sight of the things he did to my body. I felt myself clenching around him over and over as I cried out his name, nearly collapsing as I finished my orgasm.

"We're just getting started," he growled, pulling my arm and practically tossing me on the bed.

"Bend over. Ass in the air," he commanded, pulling me back on the bed.

Obliging, I placed my knees near the edge of the bed while bent over. Apparently that wasn't good enough for Mr. Cullen, as he shoved my head down onto the bed, demanding for me to leave it there. The familiar twisting, rolling feeling began again in the pit of my stomach as I heard him removing his boxers, his fingers now skimming the sensitive area between my legs.

"Did you like the spanking I gave you last time, dirty girl?" he asked, stroking me firmly, shoving two fingers deep inside of me.

I moaned in response, unable to voice how much I loved the spanking. Without warning, he smacked one cheek, hard. A squeak of surprise left my mouth, followed by a moan as he massaged the area he struck. Encouraged by my moans, he slapped the other side, harder, and then the other side, again, even harder.

"I made love last time to you, Bella," he told me quietly, pulling me upright by my still slightly damp hair, eliciting a gasp from my lips. He pulled my mouth to his, sucking my bottom lip violently. I felt his fingers slide between my legs again, as he pinched and pulled at my clit. "But tonight I'm going to fuck you. Is that what you want, baby? Do you want me to fuck you?"

Edward removed his fingers from my clit and I watched as he stuck them in his mouth, sucking and licking them, his eyes dark as he watched me watching him. Removing his fingers from his mouth, he cupped my breasts, tweaking my nipples roughly as he awaited my response.

"Yes, Edward," I gasped. "I want you to f..fuck me!"

That was all the confirmation he needed as he pushed my face back on the bed and shoved his huge cock deep inside me as I screamed out. He pumped viciously, slapping my ass occasionally. The position he'd put me in was perfect. He hit my spot every time and I felt wetness running down my thighs. He smacked my ass again, and it stung so good it brought tears to my eyes.

"Play with yourself, you dirty girl," he commanded, grabbing my hips and plowing himself into me.

I reached between my legs nervously, finding my sweet spot and shyly ran my fingers over it, gasping at the sensation of my fingers there and of his cock deep inside me, a familiar pressure building up within. I continued to toy with my clit, glancing over one shoulder and meeting my lover's eyes. The sight of him naked, his hips slapping me from behind drove me over the edge, and I came hard, screaming in ecstasy. He flipped me over, pulling me to him, his forehead beaded in sweat as he shoved his cock in again. My clit was overly sensitive, but I rubbed it anyway, enjoying the seriousness of his eyes and he watched me flick and massage it. Within minutes he came undone as well, his warm fluid filling me as he threw his head back cursing and gasping.

We spooned for a while, breathing quietly as he ran his fingers through my damp hair. We said nothing to one another for a long while, lost in each others arms. He kissed me tenderly on my cheek whispering how much he cared about me, how much he didn't want to let me go. I rolled over hesitantly, running my fingers over his sharp cheekbones, running my thumb over his perfect lips. He was so beautiful. I couldn't believe he was mine. My fingers passed from his face, down his chest and to the words scrawled across his ribs, the edges of the words still slightly pink from the fresh tattoo.

He marked his body for life...for me? Tears formed in my eyes, and he gazed at me, now confused, as I continued to trail my fingers across the words, the tears now tracking down my cheeks.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered, kissing my forehead. "Don't question it. And don't ever mention leaving me again, unless you plan on taking me with you. We can move to the loft, that dumpy apartment of yours or even a cardboard box, if that's what you want. As long as you're by my side, I don't care where we live. I'm yours, for life. If you'll have me."

I nodded, too choked up for words. He dried my tears with his thumbs, pressing another kiss to my forehead as he pulled me to his chest. We lay there until the sun began peaking through the windows. I groaned and sat up, with Edward attempting to pull me back down.

"I need to get back to my room before Jasper wakes up," I explained as he hesitantly released my arm.

Stumbling from the bed, I bent over, pulling on my boxers, my face red as I felt Edward's eyes on my backside. Grabbing my torn wife beater, I held it up. It was completely ruined, and I remembered the pair of panties Edward had ruined before. If he kept this up, I wouldn't have any clothes left!

"Here, wear my shirt," Edward said, sliding out of the bed, still naked, my eyes darting to his manhood, still large even in its flaccid state.

Smirking at my curious eyes, he tossed me his white dress shirt he'd worn the day before. I slipped it on, buttoning the front and pressing the collar to my nose, inhaling his wonderful scent. It smelled just like him...maybe I'd never take it off.

Edward wanted to walk me to my bedroom, but I wouldn't allow it. I left him pouting at his bedroom door, giving him one last chaste kiss with a wink as I sauntered away. A low groan left his lips as he shut the door behind him. Giggling, I trotted up the stairs, but stopped dead in my tracks at the sight before me, for Emmett had abandoned his chair. Jasper now sat in his place, leaning back casually, his eyes closed and breathing deep. Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, I tried to pass him only to gasp as he grabbed my wrist as I passed by.

"Care to explain yourself, sugar?" he said, quirking one eyebrow.

"Care to explain yourself, Jazz?" I shot back, crossing my arms to hide my bare breasts that jiggled beneath.

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" he asked, running his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair. It stubbornly fell back in his eyes.

"Do you care to explain how you know Alice?" I inquired. "She mentioned a Jasper to me, you know..."

"She did?" he whispered back, his calm face looking troubled. He leaned over, propping his elbows on his knees and placing his face in his hands. I'd never seen Jasper look so sad...so broken.

"Why did you show up everywhere she was before meeting her in that diner? That's not a coincidence! Were you...following her?"

"Yes," he moaned, his elbows still on his knees as he brought his face from his hands to stare up at me. His blue eyes were sorrowful and full of guilt.

"Why were you following her, Jasper? Why were you following Alice Cullen?" I asked, my heart racing, my body dreading the answer, although it hit me almost immediately what that answer would be.

Jasper stared up at me for a long moment, before the words left his mouth, suddenly confirming my horrid suspicions.

"She was my target."

* * *

**A/N****: Dummm dumm dummmmmm! Bam! Betcha didn't see that coming! Target? What target? Did Uncle Pete send Jasper to kill Alice, at some point in their life? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out. Tell me what you think! Give me some reviews people! I love them more than cigarettes and twenty-dollar bottles of wine. And that's saying a lot! Until next time...**

**Peace!**

**jhood**


	14. Chapter 14: Mud Island

**Disclaimer: ****_Twilight_****...I still don't own it. No copyright infringement intended. ****_Breakaway Bella_****? Now that $hit belongs to muah!**

_Previously, in Chapter Thirteen..._

_"Why were you following her, Jasper? Why were you following Alice Cullen?" I asked, my heart racing, my body dreading the answer, although it hit me almost immediately what that answer would be._

_Jasper stared up at me for a long moment, before the words left his mouth, suddenly confirming my horrid suspicions._

_"She was my target."_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Mud Island**

"Oh, my God, Jazz," I whispered, running my fingers through my long, brown hair, my fingers yanking painfully at the kinks and knots. "I don't remember us coming to Memphis for anyone named Alice Cullen," I muttered, wracking my brain as I attempted to unlock the memories of my childhood...memories that I normally kept buried deep within the recesses of my brain.

Jasper chuckled dryly, shooting me a bittersweet smile. "She wasn't a target _back then_, sugar," he clarified, the smile replaced by a frown. "She was a target a couple of years ago...actually, she wasn't the target _per say_. She was just a small part in a very large web."

This news calmed my racing heart, but only by a fraction. While I was overwhelmingly relieved that Alice hadn't been the target that I had assumed she was, knowing that she was somehow involved in Jasper's _legitimate_ job was still very disturbing. We should have told Edward, from the beginning, about Jasper's profession. We shouldn't be in this house without him knowing, but Jasper had his reasons for not wanting Edward to know how he made his living.

Because Jasper's legitimate profession isn't exactly something that you can just blurt out to anyone.

Jasper continued confessing the sordid details of his time spent in Memphis that I knew nothing about and I eventually came to one conclusion. I knew without a doubt that I couldn't keep this information from Edward, no matter what risk to Jasper it posed.

"I'm going to bed, but I'm giving you fair warning," I told my cousin, pointing my index finger at his sad face, my other hand on my hip. "I'm telling Edward everything. You can be pissed off at me or whatever. I'm not keeping this from him. I should probably march down there now and tell him, but I'm gonna let him sleep. You need to figure out what you're gonna say to Alice when you see her, because you can't hide from her forever. We're living with her brother, for Christ's sake! How in the hell did you think you could hide from her! You're not as smart as I thought you were, Jasper Swan!"

"I know I can't hide," he explained, scrubbing his face with his hands. "I think subconsciously that's why I agreed to stay here. Because, there is no way I can live here without bumping into her. You don't understand, Bells. When I spoke to her in that diner... I'd never felt that sort of connection before, and haven't felt it since."

He looked miserable in his admission. His forehead wrinkled in worry lines and bags began to form under his eyes from the stress and lack of rest. My poor cousin. The first girl to steal his heart and he can't have her. With a heavy sigh, I told him to get some sleep, before leaving him to his thoughts, sitting in the floral chair. After shuffling to my bedroom and closing the door behind me I face planted on my new bed with a groan. The shower was calling my name, but pure exhaustion took over my body and within minutes I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Hours later I woke up, still exhausted and disoriented to boot. Squinting around in confusion, it took me a minute to recognize the unfamiliar surroundings. Eventually, I realized I was laying in my new bedroom in Edward's house. Glancing at the clock, I gasped at how late in the day it was, at nearly one o'clock in the afternoon. Jumping up, I darted to the bathroom, stripped down and took a hot shower, mentally pumping myself for my dreaded conversation with Edward. To say the thought of telling him about Jasper was terrifying was an understatement. Edward had a tendency to lean toward anger and aggression, something that typically turned me on, but not with Jasper potentially being his object of wrath. After drying off and throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt, I opened my bedroom door, shooting out of the room with determination, immediately slamming into something warm and hard.

A giant man, equally the same size as Emmett, stood in front of me, grasping my arms to help steady me. He dressed as casually as I, with jeans and a white shirt. I glanced up and met deep, chocolate eyes and long, black eyelashes. The man had a gentle, yet no-nonsense expression on his face. His skin was lightly tanned and thick muscles covered his body.

He was a complete stranger.

"Are you alright, Ms. Swan?" he asked, his voice shockingly soft compared to his massive size. He stared at me with concern, searching my features of any signs of distress before letting go of my arms. The man stepped back slightly as he comprehended the apprehension on my face.

"I'm Sam," he clarified, holding out one large hand in greeting. "Mr. Cullen mentioned me? I'm your bodyguard."

I stared down at his hand warily before he chuckled and reached into his back pocket. He removed a folded note and held it out for me. Glancing at him cautiously, I snatched the note from his hand, slowly opening it. Gazing down, I read the most elegant, graceful scrawl and, although I'd never seen his handwriting before, I immediately knew Edward wrote the note himself.

_Isabella,_

_I came to wake you before I left, but you looked so peaceful in your sleep, I let you be. Unfortunately, my father has requested my presence on a brief business trip that could not be postponed. I asked Sam to watch over you the next few days. He is the bodyguard that I previously mentioned to you. Sam is not only a trusted employee, but a longtime friend of mine. He has strict instructions to keep his distance while you are at work. I would prefer you didn't work at all, but I know how stubborn you are about these things. I'm so sorry I had to leave you, Isabella, but please know that you are constantly on my mind. I will call you when I get a chance._

_Edward_

My shoulder slumped in disappointment. I needed to talk to Edward, and he was gone. Where? I had no idea. What I needed to tell him wasn't the type of conversation one has over the phone. I would have to wait until we were face to face again before explaining everything to him. Folding the note carefully, I pushed it into the back pocket of my jeans, with full intentions of pressing it between the pages of my favorite book of poems. I glanced up at Sam shyly, and he flashed me a friendly grin, his mouth full of shiny white teeth. Apologetically, I offered my hand which he quickly enclosed with his own before pumping it enthusiastically.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Swan," he told me sincerely, in his soft voice, his dark eyes sparkling. "Mr. Cullen speaks very highly of you. It's nice to finally meet the object of his affection." I blushed profusely at his words and quietly offered to cook him a late breakfast, which he happily agreed to. He followed me down the winding stairway into the kitchen. Sam spread open a newspaper across the bar and scanned through it as I plundered around the kitchen, trying to orient myself with the placement of the various pots, pans and appliances, only feeling a little awkward cooking a meal in the presence of a stranger. Thankfully, Sam appeared to be engrossed with the newspaper, basically paying me no attention whatsoever. I began working on breakfast, glancing up curiously when Jasper and Emmett entered the room, greeting Sam casually with grins and shoulder bumps as though they were already good friends. Apparently everyone had met and bonded, as only guys can do, sometime while I was asleep, making me feel ridiculously jealous. After a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes, we lounged around the house, full and miserable, chatting with Sam who ended up being a pretty awesome guy. I tossed my cell from hand to hand, impatiently waiting on Edward's call.

He finally called me while I was getting dressed for work. I'd tracked up to my bedroom impatiently waiting on him to call, crazily unpacking everything from my apartment and carefully arranging everything in my new room. My bottom lip was pretty much ruined from the amount of time I chewed on it, waiting on him to call. When my cell began ringing, I let out a girly squeal, a sound that'd never left my mouth before, and grabbed it from its short vantage point on my dresser, giddily hitting the green button when Edward's name flashed across the screen.

"Hello?" I breathed, my voice raspy from excitement.

"Hey, baby," he replied, his voice sounding far away, strange echoes sounding in the distance.

"I miss you," I confessed immediately, sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at my reflection in an ordinate mirror that hung on the wall in front of me.

"I miss you too," he whispered, his voice sounding strained. "You don't know how hard it was to leave you sleeping in that bed. I'm not used to feeling this way. In the past I could just jump up and leave at the drop of the hat. Now I just want to be near you. I feel like part of me is missing."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I forced them back, refusing to become emotional during the time I had on the phone with him. "Where are you? When are you coming home?" I asked, hearing his sharp intake of breath at the word 'home'.

"I can't tell you where I am, Bella," he whispered, sounding regretful. "But I should be home Sunday, at the latest. That's not long, at all..." He sounded unconvinced by his own words, at the end. If he couldn't tell me where he was, that could only mean that the business he was conducting was the kind that he refused to discuss. Only slightly peeved, I understood that there were things he couldn't divulge to me, for my own good.

"Sunday needs to hurry up and get here, then," I told him lightly, trying to mask the sadness in my voice. He said nothing for a while, and we sat quietly, connected to one another without having to say a word.

Then, after the lengthy pause, I heard the undeniable sound of Carlisle Cullen in the background, his voice commanding and authoritative. Edward whispered a quiet goodbye, and the line disconnected. Throwing the phone on the bed, I stared at my reflection again, the girl in the mirror looking majorly bummed.

The next couple of days crawled by at a snail's pace. Work sucked. Emmett and Jasper sucked. Sweet little Alice? She sucked as well, with her peppiness and zest for life. And Sam, with his sweet smile and friendly disposition? He sucked too. Everything sucked in Edward's absence. I scowled at anyone who dared to make eye contact with me. I murdered everyone with my eyes. Carmen was understandably annoyed with my grumpy state, avoiding me at all costs after constantly snapping at her. Tia actually found me to be quite hilarious when depressed, which was utterly disturbing but also very non-surprising, considering this is Tia we're talking about.

I pretty much hated everyone in my general vicinity.

Jasper continued to hide out and watch for James in the bar across the street, politely declining the advances of drunken women who basically threw themselves on him. The fact that he continued to hide from Alice pissed me off worse than anything. He'd meet Emmett, Sam and I at his car, which he continued to park in front of my old apartment. Every night we met him there, leaning against his old, black muscle car, his face smudged with cheap, tacky lipstick, a sheepish expression on his face. I yelled at him a couple of times, basically for simply existing. Emmett, much like Tia, found me very entertaining.

I truly needed to re-evaluate the people in my life.

Sunday finally arrived and I was awake before the sun rose, my heart churning enthusiastically in my chest, for my Edward would soon return! He'd called a couple of times over the weekend, only speaking to me for a brief amount of time before Carlisle demanded his attention. Carlisle Cullen was a lucky man.

Because if he were here I'd have wrung his neck.

Edward was scheduled to be home by suppertime. I've never been so happy to not have to work. Before meeting Edward I would sleep all day from my late nights at work, and then clean or do some other menial task just to fill in the blanks between work. Now that Edward converted the bar to a club, it gave me even more free time. I no longer worked the same amount of days, since Fate was only open three days a week. In the past, working three days would have made me miserable, but now, only working on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, thrilled me to no end.

It was just that much more time I could spend with Edward.

Jasper, Emmett and Sam sat at the bar, watching me with wide eyes as I flew around the kitchen, muttering and complaining to myself about random things, my mind occupied with making the perfect meal for my man's return home. The kitchen soon filled with the smell of tomato sauce and sausage as I made my Mamaw Swan's spaghetti, topped with beef, sausage and pepperoni. Buttered garlic bread warmed in the oven, the smell taunting Emmett as his eyes sat mesmerized on the oven door, like a big dog waiting to be thrown a bone. I was throwing together a simple, greek salad when the unmistakable sound of Edward's voice drifted from somewhere close behind me.

"Honey, I'm home," he murmured. My eyes darted up and met the eyes of the three men watching us at the bar, dogged grins spreading across their faces. Warm arms wrapped around my waist, embracing me from behind, and I melted into him, his devil lips skimming across my cheek. He pressed his body tightly against mine, and I could feel the hardened muscles of his chest against my soft back.

"I missed you," I mumbled with a sigh, as his lips captured my own. The sound of bar stools scraping against marble rang in my ears as the boys discretely left the room. Grasping my waist with his hands, Edward turned me around in his arms and I opened my eyes, to meet his hooded green ones, which darted all over my face, searching my features. Without warning he hoisted me up on the island, a yelp of laughter and surprise leaving my lips as he pushed himself between my legs and wrapped his arms around me again. He was dressed casually in dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a chocolate-colored button-up shirt, casually left unbuttoned. He smelled like peppermint and jasmine. Edward rested his head against my heart, the scruff from his unshaven face scratching harshly against the exposed skin from my scoop neck blouse. I ran my fingers through his copper strands, his hair more disorderly than usual. In my mind I imagined him sitting on a plane, pulling at his hair as he anxiously anticipated his arrival home from the business trip.

"I missed you too," he admitted in a quiet tone, his arms tightening around my waist. We held each other for several seconds, until Emmett burst into the room.

"Don't burn the bread, Bells!" he hollered, running to the oven and throwing open the door. I ignored him as he moaned and grumbled about the slightly overcooked bread, my head resting on Edward's as I breathed in the smell of his shampoo. He turned his head, kissing the spot where his face rested, right over my heart, before pulling me down from the island and into his arms. We laughed as Emmett struggled with a butter knife to scrape the overly brown bottom of the bread.

"I'm starving," Edward admitted sheepishly, with the cutest, most bashful grin. That's all he had to say. The boys helped me move the food into the dining room, the table previously having been set by Jasper. We sat family style around the huge table, beneath a crystal chandelier that probably cost more than my parents first home, Edward sitting at one end of the table with me to his right. Sam called Liam and Ben, another one of Edward's security team members, in to dine with us. Ben lived in the guest house with Liam and Sam. He was an extremely nice, handsome man in his mid-twenties, with dark skin and shiny almond eyes. I immediately thought of Angela, when I first met him, and mused over the idea of introducing the two of them sometime soon. Edward held my hand under the table as I watched him eat with his left hand, just learning that he was left-handed.

As I listened to Edward chat and laugh with his friends and my family, my mind wandered to the conversation that would inevitably take place sometime after supper. I worried about Edward's reaction. Would he become so angry that I kept Jasper's secrets from him that he would kick us out? Hurt Jasper? I wasn't sure. Jasper met my concerned eyes across the table, his eyes darting down quickly, guiltily at the food in front of him.

"That was wonderful, baby," Edward whispered, wiping his pretty pink lips with a soft cloth napkin before setting it on his empty place. He captured my mouth with his again, and I tasted tomatoes, garlic and Edward.

It wasn't a bit unpleasant.

"We're gonna clean this stuff up and let the two of you uhh...unpack Edward's bags," Emmett smirked, wagging his eyebrows at me. I smacked him in the head as I passed by, snickering as he whimpered dramatically from the light blow. Jasper eyes were boring holes in the back of my head as I left the room, but I paid him no mind.

Edward and I grabbed his bags from the foyer and headed to his bedroom. The stupid shirt he wore covered his delicious rear, obstructing my view. I scowled to myself, vowing to rip it from his body as soon as we entered his bedroom.

Which I did.

Edward carefully set his bags on the floor and turned to stare at me. I tossed his carry-on bag carelessly on top of them, knocking them over in its wake. His eyes widened at the predatory look on my face. I flung myself the short distance between us, shoving his chiseled chest as hard as anyone my size could. The back of his knees hit the bed and he stumbled before falling over on his back, with me on top, yanking his shirts off his body and attacking him with my mouth, all thoughts of Jasper's situation momentarily forgotten.

I licked his chest, my tongue working its way to each nipple. Then I began sucking each nipple greedily between my lips, to which I was rewarded with a strangled moan. I learned a couple of things as I did this: First, Edward Cullen really, really likes having his nipples sucked. Second, Edward Cullen loves it when you stare up at him whilst performing said nipple-sucking action. Glancing up at him through my lashes as my tongue flicked against his body really set him off. His eyes were hooded, the pine-green color practically turning black as he moaned and writhed beneath me, grasping the thick comforter between his fingers. I let my tongue wander from between his nipples, down his chest, past his navel, all the way down to his waistband. Yanking at the belt, I slid it off, flinging it to the floor, unbuckling his pants and pulling the zipper down. He eagerly raised his hips as I shimmied his jeans and boxers down, and holy cow there was little Edward, standing upright, ready to greet me.

And this is where I stopped. Because I had no idea what to do past removing his jeans.

The thought of 'returning the favor' for all of his 'oral skills' had weighed in the back of my mind since the first night in the loft, but I was worried that the first time I performed said act, it wouldn't be very pleasant for Edward. I had no idea what I was doing, so I just went for it, grabbing him at the base of his cock and pumping him up and down. He hissed, shoving himself into a semi-sitting position as he stared between my pumping hand and the look of pure determination on my face. I was mentally preparing myself for wrapping my mouth around his huge cock...it wasn't going over very well in my mind.

Wetness seeped out of him and I swiped it with my thumb, using it for lubrication as I continued to pump. Still straddling him, I leaned down and very carefully, very hesitantly, gave his tip a little swipe with my tongue.

"Aghhhh!" he moaned. I looked up at the tortured expression on his face, which only encouraged me more. Taking a deep breath, I took him in my mouth, going down until his cock hit the back of my throat, lightly sucking, being careful not to scrape my teeth against him too much. There was no way I could fit the entire thing into my mouth and I practically had to wrestle him down as he began cursing and moaning. Something about him cursing just drove me freaking crazy! I bobbed my head up and down, my hand still wrapped around his base, pumping and sucking. For some reason a conversation Carmen attempted to have with me about sex crossed my mind at that moment. At the time I thought what she told me was disgusting...and disturbing, but Carmen had more experience with these types of things than I did, so I, very gently, used my free hand to cup and massage Edward's balls.

He cried out, grabbing a handful of my hair and moaning my name. I massaged more firmly, running my thumb underneath his scrotum just as Carmen had instructed.

"Get up baby!" he breathed. "I'm about to come!"

He didn't have to tell me twice. My lips left his cock with a smack, but I kept my hand where it was, pumping for him, his hips meeting my hand each time. I felt his thighs harden beneath me as he orgasmed. I watched in awe and fascination as the white liquid spurted out all over my hand, never pausing as I continued to stroke him. His chest heaved with his labored breathing and he stared up at me with only one emotion that I could read.

Love. Pure, unadulterated love.

He grabbed his white shirt, wiping the come from my hand and his body before tossing it to the floor. Edward pulled me down to him, kissing me reverently. He sucked my lip between his teeth and within a matter of minutes he was hard again. Before I knew it, he'd stripped me of my clothes and took me from behind, twisting his hands in my hair, yanking my head back, pounding into me until I came undone again and again. I fell asleep in his warm, loving arms, spooning me from behind, his manhood still deep inside me. All thoughts of sneaking back to my room were abandoned as he pulled the covers over the two of us, making me the happiest girl in the world, a world where there was no James, Jasper was a regular blue-collar worker, and Edward and I were equals on every level.

The next morning I opened my eyes, feeling more refreshed and alive than I'd felt my entire life. Turning over, I stared at Edward as he slept, his mouth slightly open as he lay on his right side, his left arm slung across my body. I ran my fingers over his lips, over the scruff on his face, through the mop of hair on his head, amazed at how beautiful he truly was. There was a slight clef in his chin that I pressed my thumb into before sliding my hands down his chest, brushing his nipples with the pads of my thumbs.

"Someone wants another round," he drawled, his voice still groggy, his eyes still shut. I giggled and turned back around, pressing my naked bottom into his groin. Neither one of us had bothered with putting any clothes on last night, and for that I'm glad. He cupped my breasts with his hands, moaning my name, whispering dirty things into my ear as he slid himself into me, grabbing one leg and pulling it up slightly. We made love slowly, cherishing every moment, the slow burn building inside us both until it was finally extinguished.

"I'm taking you out today," he whispered as we stood in his shower, the entire thing surrounded in glass, always making me feel slightly awkward and exposed, as though someone from outside were watching me. He took a loofah and poured a manly smelling body wash onto it, running it over my bare skin. Edward took his time, bathing me, the water cascading down from above our heads, like it was actually raining inside. I washed his as well, appreciating his beautiful body as I ran a washcloth over it.

"Where are you taking me?" I gasped as he landed on his knees in front of me, grabbing my thigh and tossing it over one shoulder. He didn't immediately reply as he worked his tongue around my sensitive flesh. My orgasm ended in a scream and he licked me well after, and I wondered if he truly did enjoy the taste of me in his mouth.

"Mud Island," was his reply as he stood up, holding the sides of my face and pulling my mouth to his. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of tasting myself, but it really wasn't so bad. I reached down between us and pumped his cock until he shuddered and spasmed, his hot semen mixing and disappearing with the water down the drains at our feet.

I wondered what he planned for us to do on Mud Island but didn't question it. After drying off I darted upstairs to my room, wearing my clothes from the night before. I threw on something casual, but nice; a coral colored dress with quarter sleeves and a pair of flats. After tightening a belt around my waist, applying a scant amount of makeup to my face, brushing my teeth and running a brush through my hair, I was ready to go. I darted downstairs, excited with the prospect of an outing with Edward, but also dreading the truth of the situation with Jasper. Edward had to know the truth about Jasper. This outing was the perfect opportunity.

There would be witnesses if Edward decided to murder me.

He grinned up at me as I skipped down the stairs. Edward had thrown on a deep green shirt that brought out his eyes, tight brown pants and a pair of boots. I'd never found tight pants hot on a man, thinking they always made a man look a little...fruity, if you will. But on Edward Cullen. Sweet baby Jesus, that man looked hot. I practically hopped into his arms after leaving the bottom step, causing him to duck his head and grin. We ate a late lunch of sandwiches, as it was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon. Wrapping one arm around my waist, we walked out to the garage and I stared at the most beautiful, elegant car in front of me, red luxury sedan. The interior was a deep tan and felt as soft as a feather as Edward and I slipped in the backseat, Liam and Sam sliding in up front. Their presence was slightly disappointing, not that I didn't like them, but I wanted to be alone with Edward.

Unfortunately, things aren't always that simple.

We arrived at Front Street and I practically bounced in my seat, gnawing on my stubby thumb nail as the monorail came into view. It was no secret between me and my friends that I was terrified of the monorail, after a particularly horrifying night at the Mud Island Amphitheater, where the drunken crowd whooped and hollered on the machine suspended over the Mississippi river, jumping and laughing as they purposely shook the car, terrifying me the entire time. Visions of the monorail crashing into the churning river below filled my mind and I proceeded to have a full-blown panic attack. Tia and Carmen were by my side, as I sat with my head between my knees, hunched over, panting for air. I hadn't been to Mud Island since that day, even though it was one of my favorite places in the city.

Liam parked the car and we made out way to the monorail, Edward paying our way in. Taking a deep breath and grasping his hand, we found a couple of seats near a woman and a little boy, probably about ten years old. He was holding a small football in his hands, staring down at it quietly. The woman was wearing a blue uniform that I recognized as a hotel housekeeper's outfit. She smiled at me politely as I sat near her, the little boy glancing at me, ducking his head shyly when he met my quiet smile. Edward held my hand as the red and white monstrosity made its way over the river, and I took deep, breaths, trying to hold it together.

"I don't like riding this thing either," the woman beside me confessed in a hushed whisper. "But Rommy loves to watch the pedal boats."

"Do y'all like to ride the pedal boats?" I asked the little boy, eager to strike a conversation to ignore the fear in my chest. He shook his head shyly, not meeting my eyes. I noticed the woman held a small picnic basket in her lap.

"Mama says it costs too much," he whispered, rolling the ball in his hands. I saw Edward turn his head to peer down at the little boy. The pedal boats couldn't cost more than five dollars per person.

"Hush, Rommy!" his mother scolded, looking exceedingly embarrassed. "You don't tell folks things like that! We only get to come out here every once and a while. He got all A's on his report card, so we're celebrating with a picnic!" The woman beamed at me and I smiled down at the little stranger proudly.

"Where are y'all from?" I asked her, relieved that the monorail finally met it's destination.

"Klondike," she muttered, the monorail shaking slightly before coming to a standstill.

We all stood up and I swallowed the lump in my throat, glancing down at the little boy with the football in his hands. Would he have a chance? Klondike was one of the worst areas in Memphis, and I silently prayed that this little boy would make it out alive to live a full, healthy life. I touched him gently on his shoulder, the woman staring at me strangely, and congratulated him on his academic achievements. He gave me his first real smile and the two of them exited the monorail ahead of us. The woman had an old, worn leather purse on one shoulder, slightly unzipped near the edge, and I watched in shock as Edward reached out a slipped a roll of hundred-dollar bills in her purse. As we passed them, I couldn't help but stare at her purse, as the woman gave me a confused look, glancing down at the bag that hung from her shoulder. We left the cart with Liam and Sam trailing behind us, Edward's arm wrapped protectively around my waist.

"That was very kind and thoughtful of you," I whispered, staring up at this man in wonder.

His face was blank, void of emotion, before meeting my eyes and giving me a sneaky wink. He led me to the Riverwalk where we strolled hand in hand, gazing down at the exact replica of the Mississippi river where it flowed from Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico.

"I can be a nice guy when I want to be," he grinned, pulling me down beside him on a park bench.

I leaned into him, his arm slung casually around my shoulder as Liam and Sam disappeared somewhere nearby, ever watchful of the two of us. We stared out from Mud Island, which was really a peninsula that jutted out into the Mississippi river, and stared at Downtown Memphis. We sat silently watching the hustle and bustle of traffic and pedestrians. I could hear blues music all the way from here, echoing across the water, and as I stared across at Front Street, I remembered a night, not so long ago, when two hooded figures walked along the banks of that muddy river to toss a gun deep within its depths. Shuddering, I pressed myself closer to him, opening my mouth, ready to expose some dirty little secrets.

"I brought you here to talk about our future," Edward confessed softly, pressing his lips to my forehead, my mouth hanging open from my own attempted confession. "Being away from you put things in perspective for me. I spoke at length with my father about the two of us. He doesn't agree with me spending the rest of my life with someone of a different heritage, and different faith, but he says he will accept it, because I'm his only son and he loves me."

I sat in shocked silence at his words, the very idea of the cold-hearted bastard of a man accepting me as a future daughter-in-law rendering me still. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. Glancing up, I watched as Edward clenched and unclenched his jaw, staring out at the dirty water, his mind possibly full of memories of the conversation with Carlisle. Nevertheless, I was thrilled that Carlisle decided to stop fighting Edward on who he chose to spend his life with. Edward reached into his pocket, removing a blue, velvet box and turning slightly in his seat.

Holy crap.

He laughed nervously at the expression on my face as my mouth dropped open at the sight of the box. Surely, this box did not contain what I thought it did. It was too small to hold a bracelet or a necklace...possibly a pair of earrings? All ideas of anything besides a ring flew out the window as Edward pulled open the top of the box to reveal the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen in my life.

The ring held a large, square diamond the in center and each corner held an oval diamond, with triangular-shaped ones in between. The ring was silver in color and I wondered if it was platinum or white gold...and what in the hell was he doing getting down on one knee?

"Holy crap," I muttered, gasping as he left the bench, pressing on knee on the sidewalk.

People strolling in the park stopped what they were doing to watch us, even taking pictures of us with their phones. Glancing over his shoulder, I watched as Sam shot me a wicked grin, taking a picture of the two of us with his own phone, smirking at the look of shock on my face.

"Isabella Swan," Edward said, his voice firm and holding not a trace of nervousness or doubt. "We've only known each other a month, but in that one month you've made me feel things that I haven't felt in the twenty-nine years I've been alive. I want to spend the rest of our lives getting to know one another, if you'll have me."

He removed the ring from the box with steady fingers, pulling my cold hand into his. He slipped the ring on my ring finger, the thing looking enormous, gaudy and...perfect on my tiny finger. It felt as though it weighed about ten pounds, and all I could do was gape at it in awe.

"Isabella...Bella," he whispered, pressing his cold lips to the back of my hand before meeting my wary gaze. "Will you marry me?"

Time stood still. People stared waiting for my answer. The little voice that sometimes popped into my mind my was chanting 'Yes! Yes! Yes! Say yes, you moron!' but I couldn't give him the answer that he was waiting for without telling him the truth first.

"Edward, Jasper is an undercover FBI agent who investigated your family for two years," I blurted out.

Edward froze, staring into my guilty eyes as my stomach rolled in nervousness and anticipation. Total strangers gasped at my confession, shooting me dirty looks as they awaited Edward's response. Edward dropped my hand from his, leaving it abandoned in my trembling lap. He stood up from his knee, towering over me, his eyes glaring down as tears pooled in mine. He opened his mouth and let out a bitter laugh before responding to my tortured confession...a response that I did not anticipate.

"Well, this should make for an interesting Thanksgiving dinner."

* * *

**A/N: ****Next up, Thanksgiving with the Cullen/Swan clan. Review and let me know what you think about Bella's revelation about Jasper's profession and Edward's reaction. Were you surprised? Can you believe Edward proposed? Is it too soon? Will it work out between these two crazy kids**?


	15. Chapter 15: Bacon, Turkey and Berettas

**A/N:**** Seems like most of y'all thought the proposal was too quick. Haven't y'all learned these folks aren't normal? Lol!**

**tee24****: For the snitching on her cuz comment I'm gonna ninja mind rape you all night Friday by playing 'Bandz A Make Her Dance' on repeat. All night. Again. As for Carmen and the tabs; I hear she'll turn a trick or two for some 10's. She'll get a little dirty for some 5's. She do anything for some Perc's.**

**Still don't own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Happy Turkey Day, y'all!**

_Previously, in Chapter Fourteen..._

_"Edward, Jasper is an undercover FBI agent who investigated your family for two years," I blurted out. He froze, staring into my guilty eyes as my stomach rolled in nervousness and anticipation. Total strangers gasped at my confession, shooting me dirty looks as they awaited Edward's response. Edward dropped my hand from his, leaving it abandoned in my trembling lap. He stood up from his knee, towering over me, his eyes glaring down as tears pooled in mine. He opened his mouth and let out a bitter laugh before responding to my tortured confession...a response that I did not anticipate._

_"Well, this should make for an interesting Thanksgiving dinner."_

**Chapter Fifteen: Bacon Turkey and Berettas**

"Wait...what?" I gasped in confusion at his nonchalant tone. Glancing up at him warily, he shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glaring at the throng of people gawking rudely at our exchange. One cold look and a 'Get the fuck out of here and mind your own fucking business!' from Edward and they vanished.

After a heavy sigh, he rejoined me on the park bench, dropping his elbows to his knees, his face in his hands. Sam and Liam exchanged one last awkward look with one another before they too vamped out. I twisted the gaudy diamond ring nervously around my finger, waiting for the moment when Edward would demand for me to hand it back.

"Bella, I already know that Jasper works for the FBI," Edward confessed, my head snapping up to stare at him in surprise. He leaned back against the bench, casually resting one arm across the back and around my shoulders as he carefully watched my face. "He came to me the morning I left for my business trip to Chicago. He said you were planning on telling me that morning. I left before you had the chance." His eyes left mine to wander back to the Mississippi River, his thoughts and emotions playing out in the expression on his face.

"What did he say? What all did he tell you?" I mumbled, my heart just beginning to slow, exceedingly relieved that Jasper did the right thing by telling Edward about his profession.

"Well, he came to me in the early morning, knocking on the door," he began, glancing back to my eyes. "He told me that he had a confession to make. He looked guilty as hell about whatever it was, so I called Liam and Sam to escort us to my office. Like I've told you before...your cousin scares the shit out of me. He sat in the chair across from me for a while before he actually started to speak. At first I thought he'd gone crazy. He spoke of assassinating people for his father, of how he took you with him everywhere he went. He told me about all the murders you saw as a child."

"And then," he continued, his eyes darkening. "He explained how it all changed. He said he finally realized what a sick person his father was. The assassinations stopped...he vowed to pay retribution for the things that he'd done..."

"That's when he went to college," I whispered, cutting in unintentionally, my mind wandering into the past. Visions of a smiling, happy Jasper flooded my mind as we both left for college. "James was in prison and Jasper gained custody of me. We moved to Oxford and he started taking classes at Ole Miss, before joining the FBI. I went to high school and tried to blend in as much as possible, but it was hard considering all the media that surrounded my kidnapping. My father had been a dirty cop, and that only increased the news coverage tenfold. I eventually dropped out of school and took the required GED classes. That's how I earned my high school diploma."

"And Jasper," I said, with a heavy sigh, my eyes drifting towards the current. "Jasper worked like a dog in college, going to school full-time and working evenings in a factory, just to keep the two of us afloat. Emmett even moved in and got a job at a computer store just to help us pay bills. He slept on a blow-up mattress on the floor." My eyes became slightly misty as I remembered Emmett and Jasper demanding I sleep on the only bed in the apartment while Jasper slept on the couch and Emmett on the crummy floor. "I tried working when I finally became of legal age, but back then the only thing I could do was wait tables, and the drunk frat boys that came in would cause me to have severe panic attacks. I quit working and put forth all my time and effort to see a psychiatrist to help me deal with all the problems that come along with being kidnapped and..."

This was it. Confession time. If I told him this one thing, there'd be nothing left to hide.

"Raped," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. I heard his breath hitch in his throat before everything went deadly silent. My misty eyes finally flooded over and it struck me that I'd gone years without crying until meeting Edward. Was that a bad thing or a good thing? How, being with him, messed with my emotions?

"He raped you," he finally whispered after a bloated pause. I nodded at his broken words, my eyes still squeezed shut.

"How long?" he asked, his voice sounding oddly detached. I kept my eyes shut because I was terrified of what I would see when I opened them. Would his eyes be full of anger? Remorse? Vengeance? Or, worse...disgust?

"Weeks," I replied quietly, a vision of a cold creek bed jutting through limestone rocks flashing through my mind.

"Months," I continued, taking deep gasping breath at the memory of a frail little girl sitting in the creek, her sides purple and black. She took deep, painful, breaths, the broken ribs beneath making her lungs burn. I opened my eyes to erase her face. She was gone. She was dead. That girl no longer existed. I buried her along with old Uncle Pete.

Edward was staring at me. I saw his profile in my peripheral vision, but I refused to meet his eyes. My therapist told me long ago that it was normal for a rape victim to feel shameful, guilty and dirty. She'd said that it'd take years for the feelings of self-deprecation to improve. I guess she was right.

"Look, I uh, understand that this probably changes things," I whispered, begrudgingly pulling the engagement ring from my finger, my finger feeling oddly naked with its weight gone. The diamonds caught the sunlight, casting rainbows across my dress. I smiled at the small, colorful rainbows. I always loved rainbows. Grabbing his nimble hand, I flipped it over, carefully dropping the ring into his palm, and squeezing his hand shut over it before standing, glad that the crowd of people had long left so they wouldn't have to watch my painful goodbye.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered, hovering over him. He stared down at the ring in his hand, never glancing up, never speaking. "I think I knew from that first night I saw you across that parking lot...I think I knew you were it for me. And it scared the shit out of me. I told myself over and over it wasn't you I was running from, it was the media, it was James...but the more I think about it, I'm pretty sure I was just lying to myself. There has been no one else in my life I've felt more connected to, but I understand that this changes things. I tried to tell you, damnit!"

Suddenly, I was furious. I don't know if I was furious at him, at myself, or at James, but I became enraged.

"I tried to tell you to stay away from me!" I cried, wrapping my arms around myself in an attempt to hold myself together. "I told you that I was damaged goods but you wouldn't listen, Edward! Why didn't you listen? Damnit!" I backed away, finally gaining his attention and saw the look on his face.

Disgust. This man who claimed to love me? He found me disgusting.

I stumbled to the sidewalk of the Riverwalk in shock at the expression on his face, bumping into a pedestrian by mistake. After a mumbled apology I turned around, darting down the sidewalk sobbing as I made my way back to the monorail. My plan was to run, to escape. The monorail would take me back to Front Street. My old apartment was just a few minutes away from the monorail. I'd walk to my old home, knock on Angie's door and listen while she gave me good, motherly advice, like she had on so many occasions.

Of course, nothing I plan really hatches out right.

Edward caught me by my arm swirling me around as I cringed, ducking my head to avoid his eyes. The look on his face, I couldn't bear to see that look again.

"Look at me, Bella!" he hissed, grabbing my chin and pulling my face up. My head obliged, by my eyes continued to train on the ground.

"You're going to put this ring back on your finger, Isabella Swan," he whispered, his voice threatening. "And I swear to God, if I ever see you take if off your finger again, there will be hell to pay!" My eyes darted to his in alarm, as he yanked at my hand roughly, practically shoving the ring back home on my finger. The slight look of disgust still played there, but his eyes were mostly filled with panic. I saw his Adam's Apple bob as he met my gaze, his jaw clenching as he guided me back to the park bench, shooting a glare at anyone who darted gaze in our direction.

"What the fuck are you doing, running from me? I've told you to stop pushing me away! Stop running, Bella!" he scowled, pulling me down beside him on the bench. He wrapped his arms around me, guiding my head to the crook of his neck.

"I...I saw how disgusted you were when I told you what James did to me," I whispered, hiding my face against his warm neck. He smelled so good, so sweet.

"Of course I'm disgusted," he muttered, turning slightly to force me to look into his eyes. He stared into my chocolate orbs suddenly looking very sad. "I'm disgusted by what that man did to you. But mostly I'm disgusted with myself."

"What? Why? Why would you be disgusted with yourself? You did nothing wrong!" I gasped, confused by his words. He continued to stare at me, the honesty of his statement ringing true by the way he gazed at me.

"Come on, Bella," he laughed darkly, his eyes breaking free from mine to stare back at the river. "You know that's not true. I feel like a piece of shit now. Do you think I would have been so rough with you in bed if I'd known about your past? It makes me sick to think of the things I've done...spanking you...telling you to be still when I touch you...pulling your hair. Fuck! I feel like a fucking pervert for liking it! I fucking loved it!" He started yanking at his hair with one hand, his face wrenched in pain.

Grabbing his hand from his hair, halting its assault on one of my favorite parts of Edward, I whispered, "Do you think for one minute that, if it did bother me, I wouldn't speak up for myself? Edward...don't you ever compare your time with me with the things that happened in my past. Because I don't."

"How many?" he blurted out, ignoring my words and staring at me in panic. "How many besides me? He doesn't even count...how many men have you been with, Bella?"

Why hadn't we discussed this? When I tell him the truth he's just going to freak out. I can see it in his eyes. I gnaw on my bottom lip a minute before admitting, quietly, "Just you, Edward. Just you always. You're all I want. You're all I've ever wanted."

"Fuck!" he muttered, scowling a woman who passed by, covering her son's ears with her hands as she hustled him along the sidewalk. Edward's face turned pale and his hands trembled slightly in his lap. "I'll make things right with you, Bella. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry, baby. I'm gonna make things right." He kept muttering the last sentence over and over, constantly blaming himself for something that he simply did not do.

Suddenly, he laughed, a sarcastic, bitter laugh, glancing up at me. "This is, by far, the worst proposal of all time." He became hysterical, laughing like a hyena, leaning back on the bench with his legs stretched out in front of him. When he finally became silent, the air felt slightly off without his angsty laughter.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I told him, running one finger across his cheek. "It's just us, baby. This is just the way things are." I shrugged, somehow used to the craziness of our two joined lives.

"Is there anything else I need to know before we go any further?" he asked, shooting me a crooked smile. "Any other crazy relatives? Maybe a Nazi aunt or a pyromaniac grandfather? Wait! Let me see...you're gonna tell me that Emmett is secretly a hermaphrodite and Jasper is a closet cross-dresser?"

I burst into laughter, the sound breaking the awkwardness that previously surrounded us. "No, but thanks for the visual. I'm sure Em and Jazz wouldn't find it as funny as I do," I chuckled, imagining the two of them walking around wearing dresses and lipstick, before my face turned serious. "Um, my grandparents passed away when I was younger. My father is still alive...he's in a drug rehab in Jackson, Mississippi. He, uh, got addicted to some pretty hard stuff. After my mother dying, him losing his job...the stuff that happened to me...he just went off the deep end."

Edward pulled me closer to him and I sort of melted into his side. We sat wrapped around one another until the sun began to set. Liam and Sam trailed behind, leaving a large distance between us as we rode the monorail back, the two of us constantly in contact with one another. When we returned home, Edward left me in the kitchen where I began working on supper. I watched curiously as he, Liam, Sam, Ben, Jasper and Emmett disappeared into his office, closing his door tightly behind. Somehow, I knew they were discussing James. Edward was freaking lethal on the way home, glaring out the car window. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. When I asked what he was thinking about, he simply said, "Murder."

The days that followed before Thanksgiving were slightly awkward, to say the least. Emmett teased Edward and I mercilessly, asking if we planned a long engagement. "At least two weeks," he cackled, slapping the top of the bar and wincing. "Since y'all have known each other so long and all. I can't believe you're gonna marry a man who hasn't even taken you on one single date."

Edward had winced at that, before quietly explaining that he'd originally planned on asking me to marry him closer to Christmastime. His proposal was spur of the moment. And _way _too soon.

But it was ours and it was perfect.

When Emmett wasn't tormenting us over our engagement, he was busily working on his newly purchased laptop, his plans of wooing Rose still in effect. She dropped by a couple of times, with Alice, who Jasper continued to hide from. Emmett continued to flirt with Rose, sauntering around the house like he was some sort of pimp, flexing his muscles and making sexual innuendos. Rose would simply stare at him with a raised eyebrow, until he tucked his tail between his legs and ran away.

Jasper was harder to read. I couldn't tell if he was happy for me or not. The only comment he'd made was laughable. "He should have asked your daddy for your hand in marriage," he'd muttered upon seeing the ring on my finger. This caused me to snort in laughter and say, "Jazz, my father could care less who I marry."

"Do you really think that?" he'd said, staring at me intently. "He's getting out soon. I was thinking about inviting him to Thanksgiving..."

"Invite him, Jasper!" I giggled, rolling my eyes. "Like he'd show up."

Edward had acted strange, at first. I no longer snuck back to my bedroom at night, but it really didn't matter. He barely touched me, treating me like a porcelain doll that he was afraid to touch. Nothing I tried worked. I even broke down and called, of all people, Rosalie, to bed for advice. I did everything she said. I strutted around in skimpy underwear, bending over to pick something up off the floor that I dropped. Sometimes I'd just walk around his bedroom naked. Nothing worked. Finally, after I'd had a bait of it, I began acting like an overly dramatic teenager, throwing my clothes on and flinging open his bedroom door, stomping up the stairway to my room with him right on my heels.

"Where are you going?" he demanded, following me into my bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Grabbing a suitcase out of my closet, I began shoving random clothes into it, not really paying attention to what I threw in there because I didn't really plan on going anywhere anyway. I was just pissed.

"I'm tired of you treating me like your sister instead of your fiancé," I snapped, sitting on the bulging red suitcase and yanking the zipper around the front. "You act like you're gonna break me if you touch me! I miss you. I miss _being_ with you! I'm leaving. Maybe I'll find a man who's not afraid to fuck me!" It was a horrible thing to say...a total low-blow.

It worked.

"You want to be fucked?" he screamed, pulling me from the suitcase on the floor by my shoulders and flinging me across the room. I landed on the bed gasping in shock. "I'm gonna fuck you. I'm gonna fuck you so hard you won't walk for two days. Is that what you want?" I nodded, my eyes wide as he ripped my panties in half and plunged into me. Hard.

I couldn't walk for two days. Okay, I could, but it was really freaking difficult. Aspirin was my best friend. Edward didn't even have the decency to look guilty anymore, laughing at my scowl and telling me that he only gave me what I asked for.

Alice and Rose insisted on taking me shopping before Thanksgiving, claiming that everyone dressed nicely for the yearly meal. The thought of sitting around chatting with Edward's family made me physically ill. Esme called earlier in the week to congratulate me on our engagement. She continued to treat me as kindly as she always had, but I knew Carlisle's affections would be more difficult, if possible, to win.

Edward insisted on giving me a shiny, black credit card to pay for my things with. We fought in the foyer for ten minutes. It took Sam and Liam to break the two of us up, before I expertly flung the card at his chest and marched to his red sedan, hugging as I slid into the backseat. Liam and Sam sat up front, quickly laughing at the scene we'd made in the house. Alice and Rose joined me in the back trying, unsuccessfully, to hide their laughter as well. They dragged me from boutique to boutique searching for the perfect dress and shoes, but somehow we ended up at Target, a shit-eating grin on my face as I physically forced them into the building. I finally found a simple, deep, cream-colored wrap dress ($39.99, thank you very much) but couldn't find a pair of shoes to save my life.

"What's wrong, Belly Boo?" Alice asked, pushing an overflowing cart up beside me. I gave her and her cart a critical eye, the memory of physically shoving her through the sliding glass doors of the building still fresh on my mind. She simply shrugged her tiny shoulders, looking unapologetic.

"I wish I hadn't ruined my boots that night in the grocery store," I confessed, holding up the dress I'd picked out. "They would match this perfectly. Too bad they were covered in blood." I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

"What size do you wear? If I seen any cute boots in town, I'll pick them up for you," she told me eagerly, sliding her cell from her pocket and playing with it nervously. "I mean, you can pay me back later, if you want to. I know how proud you are."

I didn't take offense to her words, because they were truthful.

I gave her my shoe size and she typed in her cell, explaining that she'd never remember without leaving herself a reminder. Rose appeared at my side, her buggy overflowing as well as she looked down at me cooly, muttering, "I'm a closet Target freak. Don't judge me." I grinned at her and we left the store after I paid for my few purchases and they paid for their many.

Jasper called Alice the Sunday before Thanksgiving. He sat on the garden swing, speaking quietly into his phone as I pressed my body tightly against a nearby corner of the house, covertly attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation, a snickering Sam at my side. Yes, poor Sam had become one of my best friends. He didn't filter, telling me when I was in the wrong with my arguments with Edward or telling me if I put too much salt in the food. He was also a sneaky little bastard and thought the Jasper/Alice situation was funny as hell.

I never found out what kind of reaction Alice had upon speaking to Jasper. After ending the call he sat silently in the garden swing, staring at the waterfall in front of him, a defeated expression on his face.

Thanksgiving Day

November 21, 2012

I was officially freaking out.

Edward escorted me to the grocery store where I slung item after item into two buggies full of food. He watched me, wide-eyed and slightly terrified. He was useless to me, just standing there watching me rush around the store aggressively. I was in full panic mode. Edward's entire family would be at his house tonight to eat the meal that I prepared. Would they like it? What if I'm not as good a cook as everyone says I am? These are the things that I yapped obsessively to him about at six o'clock in the morning at the local super center. Some woman tried to grab a bag of greens from my hand and I snapped at her. She darted off in panic and Edward told me I needed to 'slow my roll'.

He actually said that.

Things were not going to go well that night. As soon as I opened my eyes that morning, I knew it was true. It could have been the fact that the Jasper/Alice situation was bound to blow up in our faces as Carlisle sat silently by, clutching a huge carving knife in his hand. I prayed that my slightly redneck family wouldn't act too vulgur in front of Edward's highly dignified one.

I knew that wasn't gonna happen as soon as well pulled in the driveway from the grocery store. A large, hulking, white, extended-cab pickup truck with rotter bars and a 'Honk If You're Horny' sticker sat sideways in the drive. My idiot brother was checking the tire pressure on one of the tires. He stood up, watching us pull in, a huge stupid grin on his handsome face. He wore a bright red shirt with one word slapped across the front in bold, black letters.

Bacon. The shirt said 'Bacon' and had a curvy piece of pork dancing beneath the words, his cartoon eyes crossed, a goofy grin across his greasy face.

My brother was slightly obsessed with bacon.

"I took all the casseroles out of the freezer just like you told me to," my brother boasted proudly, the goofy grin still on his face. "They're in the fridge. Do you like my new truck? Jasper helped me get it."

"That's a nice truck," Edward said, leaving me behind to check out Emmett's new ride. Scowling, I started removing the grocery bags from the trunk, Sam by my side assisting, chuckling at my anger. Edward and Emmett finally joined us, helping us haul all the food into the kitchen where I spread the bags around on the bar.

Rose and Alice arrived minutes later to help me cook. Alice's eyes darting around the house nervously, but Jasper never made an appearance. I'd spotted him standing at his bedroom window as we pulled in the drive, and knew that he was avoiding Alice for as long as he actually could.

Rose eventually had enough of my rambling and stress, demanding we all take a couple of shots of tequila with her. I happily obliged, calculating in my head approximately how long it would take the alcohol to leave my system before my future family arrived for the holiday meal. One shot turned into two, which turned into three, and, while the pumpkin and pecan pies were baking, Rose proceeded to show me how to suck on Edward's balls, using a peeled mandarin orange as a prop.

"You just suck one in your mouth like this," she instructed, a slightly drunken Alice perched on the bar watching her just as intently as I. Rose took the orange, licking and sucking it. She sucked it in and out of her mouth, just as Emmett walked in the room behind her, staring at her in awe, his mouth wide open.

"Then you lick from the back all the way up," she instructed, the orange-colored juice dripping down her chin, down her neck and into her cleavage.

"You mean, like from his uhh...rectum...all the way up front?" Alice asked curiously, taking the shot glass from my hand and shooting my drink. I glared at her, ignoring Emmett as I yanked the empty glass from her hand and poured my own shot.

"Yeah, and when you start feeling brave enough, you can start fingering his asshole. Men love that shit," she confessed, wagging her eyebrows up and down.

"I cant' do that," I muttered, shaking my head, making the room spin. "That's just nasty. And he's not gonna do that to me either. My ass is an exit only, my friends. But I will suck on his balls. Cause they're his balls. And I love his balls. I like to massage his balls. He loves when I do that to him." I nodded my head wisely.

Emmett gagged at my drunken words. The sound caused Rose and Alice to turn and stare at him before bursting into drunken giggles.

"Emmett, do you like to have your asshole fingered?" Rose cackled, running her fingers from her chest and up her neck, catching the dripping juice before licking it off her fingers. Emmett made a whining sound, much like a dog in heat, before darting from the room.

Edward entered the room at that moment, peering at the three of us curiously. We laughed and raised our glasses at him. He shook his head in exasperation before pulling me from the room. My friends protested as he guided me to his bedroom. I wagged my eyebrows at my friends suggestively, making sexual gestures with my fingers, one hand with my fingers in a circle, two fingers from the other hand darting in and out of it. I did this behind Edward's back, of course, and saw Alice fall from the bar in fits of laughter before he pulled me into his bedroom...our bedroom.

"I can't believe you're drunk," he chuckled, actually sounding a bit amused. "And to think that I bought you a gift...maybe I shouldn't give it to you."

"You know I hate gifts," I told him, rolling my eyes as he pulled my arm.

"Yeah, but I think you'll like this one," he told me, sitting me on the bed before disappearing into his huge walk-in closet. He'd secretly had Liam move all my belongings into his room earlier that week. He reappeared, bringing with him a rectangular brown box. I gazed at it suspiciously as he placed it in my lap. He joined me on the bed and I slowly raised the lid on the box.

The smell of expensive leather hit my nose the moment I lifted the lid. Resting between sheets of thin, unwrinkled paper lay the most beautiful pair of brown suede cowgirl boots with flower pattern stitching. The were much like my ruined ones, only so much better.

"A little birdie told me that you had to throw out the old ones," he told me quietly, sounding slightly uncomfortable by my stunned silence. I slipped the boots from the box, sliding my bare feet into each one before standing. They were a perfect fit and were beautiful. I felt sort of like an Annie Oakley Cinderella.

"Thank you," I whispered, climbing on top of him, straddling his lap as I proceeded to flood him with kisses. He returned them eagerly until we were rudely interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Come on, you whore," Rose shouted, Alice giggling by her side. "We've got food to cook! You can practice the orange thing with him later, Bells." We broke our kiss, Edward staring at me curiously at the orange comment. I blushed profusely, not only at her comment, but because the two of them walked in on me straddling him like a hooker.

A hooker with really good boots.

The day winded down, the alcohol slowly burning from my system. Jasper never made his appearance and Emmett wisely stayed stashed away somewhere, probably with visions of Rose deep-throating an orange running through his mind. We finished cooking the good, Southern meal, just as the doorbell rang. My stomach knotted in anxiety, my eyes darting up to meet Edward's.

"Answer the door, baby," he instructed, leaning against the marble bar, looking handsome in his dark suit, his hair a sexy mess. "This is your house now too." Alice shot me a sweet smile as I wiped my hands on a hand towel.

"This is not my house, Edward," I told him, chewing on my bottom lip, just as the doorbell rang again. Someone was pressing it over and over, and I just knew it was Edward's jerk of a father.

"It is if something happens to me," he shrugged, grabbing my hand and guiding me to the door. "I've got it all taken care of. If I were to die, the house, my money, it's all yours." I planted the heels of my boots in the floor, my blood boiling at the audacity of him doing something like that without speaking to me about it first! He ignored me, yanking me to the door and pulling it open. Esme stood there beaming, a covered casserole dish in her hands. Carlisle stood by her side, one arm around her waist, staring at me evenly.

"Oh, Bella! You look so beautiful!" she beamed, shoving the dish in Carlisle's hands and pulling me into a hug. She removed herself from our embrace, examining the ring on my hand. "Oh, my grandmother's ring looks perfect on you!" she squealed.

"Your grandmother's ring?" Carlisle asked, glaring down at my trembling hand. "Why is she wearing your grandmother's ring?"

"Oh, quit, Carlisle!" she hissed, jabbing him in the ribs with one elbow. "You know Edward proposed. Quit acting like an asshole," she fumed, stomping past us and into the kitchen. Edward and I exchanged a nervous glance.

Rose set the dining room table, which was now covered with delicate rose-pattern antique china and crystal. Everyone helped haul the food into the dining room. Edward tried to insist on hiring people to cook, serve and clean for Thanksgiving, but I had refused, claiming that those things were simply part of the whole experience. He stared at me strangely for a moment before dropping a sweet kiss to my forehead.

I sent Edward upstairs for Emmett and Jasper, anxiously anticipating Jasper's arrival. Alice sat at the table staring at her plate blankly and you could practically feel the tension fill the room as I spotted my cousin quietly enter, wearing a worn pair of jeans and a tight, black Johnny Cash tee, his trademark boots on his feet. Guess he really didn't care about the formal-wear instructions.

"Esme, Carlisle, this is Bella's cousin, Jasper," Edward announced, introducing him to his parents. Esme gave him a hug, complementing him on his shirt, claiming to be a huge Johnny Cash fan. I wasn't sure if she was being truthful or just trying to break the attention from Carlisle's critical scowl as he stared at Jasper's clothing. Jasper returned his stare, the cool expression never leaving his face.

"And I'm Emmett McCarty, the baddest mo-fo you will ever meet!" a voiced boomed as Emmett entered the room, a huge grin plastered across his face. He grabbed Carlisle's hand, shocking him enough that he dropped the scowl, pumping it up and down excitedly. "Glad to meet my sister's future in-law's!" he practically hollered in Carlisle's ear, making me cringe. Esme immediately began to coo, pinching his chubby cheeks before planting a kiss on one of them.

"You're an absolute angel!" she squealed, rubbing the muscles on his arms. "And such a big, strong boy, too!"

Um, awkwarrrrddd.

"Of course I am," he bragged, flexing his biceps. "I eat black-eyed peas and cornbread!"

Carlisle practically yanked Esme from my brother, taking Edward's place at the head of the table and instructing her to sit beside him. She sulked, but beamed up at my brother as he slid into the seat beside her, giving her a wicked wink. I rolled my eyes at his antics, praying that he wouldn't end up getting shot by the end of the night.

Because I totally saw the gun in Carlisle's waistband.

Everyone took their seats, Jasper sitting directly across from a quiet Alice, who still hadn't looked up from her plate. I felt so sorry for her, wishing she would at least look at the sorrowful gaze my cousin had settled on her as he sat in the seat.

"Oh, Bellarina," Emmett said, as I stood hesitantly next to Edward. "Don't forget that thing that you made me..."

I scowled at him, hoping he had somehow forgotten. As everyone settled at the table, I went back to the kitchen, removing the one thing that I made just for Emmett from where it sat warming in the over. I re-entered the dining room, plopping it in front of him, his eyes staring in love and adoration at the disgusting thing in front of him. My cheeks flooded in embarrassment as I saw Carlisle gawking at it.

It was Emmett's own turkey. Completely covered in bacon.

"Oh, how sweet!" Esme cooed, placing a hand on Emmett's leg. "Your sister made you your own turkey!" Emmett ignored her, for once, his eyes zeroed in on the massive bacon-covered bird, the bacon spreading across the fowl like lattice.

"Why don't you say grace, Father?" Edward interrupted, looking severely disturbed by his mother's affection for Emmett. Carlisle grumbled something below his breath and bowed his head, signalling for us to do the same. After saying grace Edward began carving the turkey not covered in greasy bacon and we began to pile our plates with food.

"So, Emmett. Edward tells me that you're Bella's stepbrother," Esme prattled, taking a dainty bite of sweet potato casserole. "Did y'all always get along so well?"

"Yes m'am," he replied, earing a beaming smile from her for his politeness. "Well, we really starting getting along after the inital sexual tension between the two of us wore off."

Everyone stopped eating to stare at my brother as he shoved a mouthful of turkey and bacon in his mouth, grinning, pieces of pork stuck between his teeth.

"He's joking," I muttered, causing Emmett to holler in laughter, pieces of bacon flying onto his plate.

"Just adorable!" Esme squealed, scooting her chair closer to my brother. Yeah, she had a total mom-crush on Emmett. Everyone laughed awkwardly, except Jasper, Alice and Carlisle. We ate quietly after that, finishing our meal and then dessert with the sounds of silverware clinking against china. Edward squeezed my knee beneath the table, silently telling me that everything was alright. I gave him a small smile, that melted away with the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Who could that be?" Edward muttered, starting to stand. Carlisle stopped him, shooting me an evil grin as he stood from the head of the table.

"I invited a guest of my own. Don't worry, he's not staying. I just asked him to drop off some documents on his way home from work," Carlisle explained before disappearing from the room. Edward gave me a confused look to which I simply shrugged. Through the doorway I saw Carlisle greeting a short man with slicked-back hair and the face of a weasel. The man handed Carlisle and stack of pale-colored folders, full of papers before quietly bidding him farewell.

"Why don't we gather in your office, Edward," Carlisle called from the doorway, an eery smile on his face as his gaze drifted to me. Edward shot him a confused look, questioning him as to why he wanted to gather in his office. The smile left Carlisle's face, and was replaced by a 'don't fuck with me' look. We all exchanged nervous glances before leaving the room, following the cold man out of the dining room and into Edward's office, where he quietly shut the door behind us. Anxiously, I wondered where Sam and Liam were...if they were in the guest house or possibly spending time with their own families tonight. Something about Carlisle's wicked smile terrified me.

Everyone settled onto the deep couches and chairs as Carlisle leaned casually against Edward's expensive wooden desk, the pile of folders sitting by his side.

"I gathered everyone in here because, to be honest, I was simply curious to know the woman you claim to love, the woman you claim you want to spend the rest of your life with," Carlisle explained, glaring at me from the chair where I stiffly sat, not very far from him at all. Edward started to protest, standing from the couch. Carlisle silenced him, opening the first folder and thumbing slowly through it.

"Charlie Swan," he murmured, causing me to jump slightly at my father's name. "Chief of Police in their hometown. Ha! Chief of Police! Married to Renee Swan, who later took her own life." I heard Esme gasp, but I ignored her, my face turning red in anger at the audacity of this man to play out my life story in front of everyone.

"Later relieved of his duties for covering evidence in his brother's criminal activities," he finished, his eyes scanning the file. I glanced across the room and caught the gleam in Emmett's eye. He was angry, but he was covering it well with a smirk. He sat next to Rose who looked horribly uncomfortable as she shot me a sympathetic gaze.

"Carlisle, please," Esme begged, but he ignored her.

"Peter Swan...served this country for years as a sniper...failed multiple psychological exams...suspect in multiple murders, but nothing ever stuck. Trained his son, Jasper, and niece, Isabella, from childhood until his death...at the hands of one James Hunter," Carlisle continued, his attention fully on the file in front of him. He tossed it behind him on the desk, picking up the next file.

"James Hunter was a former military buddy of Peter Swan. Subsequently kidnapped his niece, Isabella, holding her in an undisclosed location..." his voice dropped off as he silently read the file, before his cold eyes met mine. My mouth set in a bitter line as I saw a flash of sympathy cross his face.

"Oh, let me pick up from here," Emmett yelled, shocking us all with the volume of his voice, causing us to jump. "Jasper Swan, aka, Jasper Whitlock, when he goes by his mother's maiden name. An assassin turned FBI agent who uses his underhanded connection to catch crooks like you. Unfortunately, he somehow ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, investigating the Cullen family. Too bad he became too attached with little Alice, following her around for two years just like he did the rest of you, slowing falling in love with her. Oh, but hold on! What did he do? He freaking asked to be removed from the case! He could have hung your family out to dry, but he didn't! He got too involved...got in too deep. And lied for her!" Emmett yelled, pointing at Alice who sat trembling, her eyes wide and full of tears. "He reported no criminal activity before removing himself from the case. If I knew what an asshole you really were, don't think I wouldn't hesitate to hang you out to dry!"

"Emmett, stop!" I told him in a calm, patient voice, trying to settle him down. It didn't work.

"Don't forget Emmett McCarty!" he continued yelling, walking to the desk and snatching up his file. "Also known as McMaster90! One of the best computer hackers on the planet!" He laughed as everyone besides Jasper and I stared at him incredulously. "It's all in there, if you don't believe me. I broke into the federal government files before turning fifteen. I know more about the CIA than the president does. Guess that's why they keep sending me those stupid letters wanting me to work for them."

"Got kinda sloppy though," he said, shrugging casually, crossing his arms across his massive chest. "Got caught changing up some results in an online contest. Won a brand-spanking new 'Vette. That's how I ended up in the pen."

"And what about little Ms. Swan?" Carlisle asked, picking up the file with my name on it. I tried not to let it bother me, I really did. Edward knew everything about me. There was no reason for my stomach to roll around nauseously.

"Give me that!" Emmett yelled, attempting to snatch the file from Carlisle's hand. They wrestled with it as Edward walked around my chair, also grabbing at the file to keep it from Carlisle's prying eyes.

It didn't work.

The file spilled open, papers and photographs flying everywhere. Everyone froze, staring wide-eyed at the photos that covered the floor. I cringed, pressing my eyes together tightly as I curled into a ball in the chair, the image of the photo at my feet permanently burned into my brain.

A tiny, malnourished girl lay in a hospital bed in the photos, her right eye swollen completely shut, covered in black and bruises. The other eye bulged out. The girl's pouty lips were white, cracked and bleeding from lack of hydration. Tubes ran from practically every orifice of her body. A white dressing wrapped around her skull, a hairline fracture laying beneath. Dark bruises covered her neck, some fading, some fresh, all in the shape of hands that choked her for weeks, months.

Someone was crying to my right, but I'm not sure who it was. Suddenly the crying stopped. Everything went silent except for the deep, ragged breaths that escaped my mouth. After several seconds, I glanced through my lashes.

A cobalt blue old west revolver was firmly pressed against Carlisle Cullen's right temple. My cousin removed a cigarillo from his pocket with his left hand, casually lighting it as Carlisle glared at him. Jasper took a deep breath and the room filled with the smell of strawberries and tobacco.

"Don't make me kill you in front of your wife and children," Jasper told him, pushing the gun against his skull, making him bend his head sideways. Edward stood nearby, his eyes round in shock, but surprisingly no anger on his features.

"Son, I suggest you drop that gun," Carlisle told him, his voice calm. But I saw the nervous twitch of his right eye. Jasper chuckled, taking another drag off the small cigar.

Jasper grinned, blowing smoke in Carlisle's face, cocking the gun.

"I ain't your damn son."

**A/N:**** Reviews please ;)**


	16. Chapter 16: My Life In Photographs

**A/N:** Gah y'all rock! Thanks for all the reviews and recs! Due to a massive amount of boredom this weekend, I thought I'd start a Facebook account to possibly post story teasers and whatnot. If you wanna know what Edward and Bella's house looks like or maybe take a peek at Emmett's Thanksgiving turkey, add me as a friend on **Facebook**. User name is **Hoodfabulous Fanfiction Author**.

_Previously, in Chapter Fifteen..._

_Someone was crying to my right, but I'm not sure who it was. I heard a clicking sound and the crying stopped. Everything went silent except for the deep, ragged breaths that escaped my mouth. After several seconds, I glanced through my lashes. _

_A cobalt blue old west revolver was firmly pressed against Carlisle Cullen's right temple. My cousin removed a cigarillo from his pocket with his left hand, casually lighting it as Carlisle glared at him. Jasper took a deep breath and the room filled with strawberries and tobacco._

_"Don't make me kill you in front of your wife and children," Jasper told him, pushing the gun against his skull, making him bend his head sideways. Edward stood nearby, his eyes round in shock, but surprisingly no anger on his features._

_"Son, I suggest you drop that gun," Carlisle told him, his voice calm. But I saw the nervous twitch of his right eye. Jasper chuckled, taking another drag off the small cigar. _

_Jasper grinned, blowing smoke in Carlisle's face, cocking the gun._

_"I ain't your damn son."_

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: My Life In Photographs**

Carlisle glared at my cousin as we all stared at the two men in stunned silence. Jasper continued to press the barrel of the gun into his temple, causing Carlisle to submit by bending his head at an awkward angle.

"Emmett, Mr. Cullen has a gun in his waistband," Jasper told my brother softly. "Take it from him please."

Emmett stumbled forward nervously, his feet slipping and sliding along the loose papers and photos that covered the floor. He pulled Carlisle's suit jacket and shirt up, his hand slightly shaky as he removed a large, black gun. Emmett hated guns, and especially despised having to touch one. He stepped back with the gun pointed down, the photos crunching and wrinkling beneath his big feet as he carefully placed the gun on the bookshelf behind him. I concentrated on watching Jasper so that my eyes wouldn't drift down to the pictures, my chest still tight and my breathing labored just from the mere sight of the broken girl captured in the photos.

"How dare you disrespect my family like this," Jasper told him, one eyebrow raised. "Whatever happened to Southern hospitality? I ought to just shoot you in the head."

"You're not going to kill me," Carlisle told Jasper, his forehead now beaded in sweat and his voice wavering slightly in its unconvincing tone.

"Far greater men have died by my hands, Mr. Cullen. What makes you think you're any different?" Jasper said, his voice smooth, calm, and controlled. The cigarillo dangled from his lips as he tilted his head, carefully staring into Carlisle's eyes. My eyes darted to Alice, Esme, and Rose nervously as they all sat wide-eyed and pale, staring at the two men before us.

"I'm Edward's father," Carlisle replied, his voice slightly calmer, his eyes darting towards Edward who now stood by looking pensively at his father. "I'm the father of the man who plans to marry your cousin."

"Mr. Cullen, I can say without an ounce of doubt that I seriously don't give a shit whose father you are. Don't think you know me, sir. My soul is doomed no matter what. Killing you will not weigh on my conscience at all," Jasper drawled, removing the cigarillo from his lips.

Jasper flicked it in the air and we all watched as it landed eloquently in a large, glass ashtray on Edward's desk, directly over Carlisle's shoulder. The smoke drifted from the cigar in a long, swirling ribbon, the smell of strawberries eventually fading away as the cigar burned out.

"If you shoot me you'll never make it off this property alive," Carlisle hissed unconvincingly, his eyes narrowing into angry slits. His head was completely bent sideways as Jasper took a step closer to him, an eerily serene smile gracing his handsome face. "Edward has bodyguards on the property...they'll hear the shot...they'll come after you and they will kill you. You won't live to see another day."

Jasper grinned at him, a lopsided, lazy grin. "That's okay," he said, shrugging. "I don't have any plans tomorrow anyway."

Jasper's words hung thick in the air. We all sat silently for a long moment watching as the two men stared each other down. Carlisle's face contorted in anger, a large vein bulging in the temple that wasn't occupied by the old west Beretta. Jasper continued to grin at him, humored by Carlisle's anger and anxiety.

"Jasper," Alice whispered, his voice frail.

Alice's face was as white as a sheet and her eyes round in horror. It was the first time she'd spoken to him since their mysterious conversation on the phone the day Sam and I spied on Jasper in the garden. Jasper's eyes never left Carlisle's face, but the comical smile slowly melted away.

"Yes, darlin'?" he whispered back, watching Carlisle's eyes dart from Alice back to Jasper apprehensively.

"Please...please don't hurt my father," she begged quietly, her eyes filling with tears. "What he did was wrong, but he doesn't deserve to die for it. He was only trying to protect Edward..."

"How is he protecting me? I already know everything that's in those files," Edward interrupted, finally speaking for the first time. All eyes darted to him, except Jasper's who continued to watch Carlisle. Edward stood near his father, his hands lost in his unruly hair as he anxiously pulled at the strands, his face bitter with anger at his father. "Bella told me everything. I can't believe you would stoop so low to do something like this...to out her and her family in front of everyone! How dare you! And the photos! The fucking photos! How do you think she feels seeing these photos?"

"I didn't know what was in the files, son," Carlisle told him, through gritted teeth as he glanced awkwardly at the gun pressed against his skull. "I just knew something fishy was going on. She ran that night at the grocery store. Who would run like that unless she was hiding something?"

"She _was_ hiding something!" Emmett hollered, throwing his hands up in the air, his face red with hate. "She was trying to hide herself! The man who attacked her is still out there, trying to find her. She saved your precious Alice and her friend, knowing that the media might publish her photo or name, exposing her to James! She risked herself for your daughter, and this is the thanks she gets!"

Carlisle's eyes darted to mine, a flash of sympathy swimming deep in their depths before his face became neutral again.

"Pick them up," Jasper told him, the lopsided grin back on his face. "Get on the floor on your hands and knees like the damn dog that you are and pick up every one of those pictures or I swear on my father's grave that I will end your life right here, right now."

When Carlisle didn't move Jasper kicked him in the back of his knees with one of his heavy, signature boots. Carlisle fell to the floor, on his hands and knees staring up at Jasper in shock and humiliation. I heard the girls in the room gasp at the sight of Carlisle Cullen in his submissive position. Jasper shrugged, the gun still aimed at Carlisle's head. After one last glare, Carlisle began scooping up the papers and photos, crawling around on the floor in his expensive suit as everyone but me watched. I still couldn't look down. It was too hard. My chest felt heavy and tight, as though a giant was squeezing it.

Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths, my mind going to pleasant thoughts, just as my therapist had once instructed me. I thought of my mother and the times she was coherent enough to take me to the park or let me help her ice a cake. I thought of my father, Charlie, and the few happy times I spent with him, before my mother's death, sitting in a boat on a quiet lake, catching catfish. My mind wandered to my silly brother, always goofing around with a big, dumb smile on his face. I thought of a young Jasper, my protector, my everything, as he made sure I had enough to eat every night before falling asleep in my bed. And I thought of Edward, of how much I loved him and how much he loved me.

Someone touched my shoulders and I jumped, my eyes flying open and upward to meet Edward's sad, green eyes staring down at me with concern. He pulled my hair over one shoulder and placed a delicate kiss on my forehead, whispering apologies in my ear for his father's behavior.

His familiar scent washed over me and I immediately felt calmness consume me. My eyes darted across the room to watch as Jasper instructed Carlisle to throw all the photos and files in the office's fireplace. Carlisle did as he was told, throwing everything in the fireplace and catching the silver lighter that Jasper casually tossed to him. Carlisle pressed his lips together in a tight line as he cast my cousin one last glance before bending over and lighting the photos and papers. We watched as they slowly caught afire, before eventually becoming consumed in a hot blaze.

Edward stood behind me as I sat in the chair, watching my past literally go up in flames. "Father," he spoke, as Carlisle turned to cast him a dark look. "I believe you've worn out your welcome. Please leave _our_ home."

Carlisle stared at him incredulously. "You're choosing _these people _over me? Over your _family_?"

"These 'people' are my family, Father," Edward corrected, his hands firmly gripping my shoulders as he continued to stand behind me. "And don't make me choose, because _I will _choose her. I will _always_ choose her." I glanced up at Edward and met the kindest, most loving eyes, before they shot back across the room angrily at his father.

"I believe Edward asked you to leave," Jasper told Carlisle, the gun still trained on him.

"There's only one thing separating my property from my son's, and that's a wall," Carlisle spat, buttoning his suit jacket that had come undone during the debacle. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

"Sir, your threats are empty and unfounded," my cousin replied, with a smirk. "Don't go biting off more than you can chew. It takes a pretty slick person to get the best of 'ol Jasper Swan."

Carlisle snapped at Esme and Alice to follow him out of the house. Esme jumped up, but walked over to where I sat instead, pulling me up from the chair where I nervously perched. She hugged me tightly, wrapping her arms around me and rubbing my back in a motherly fashion, whispering how sorry she was for her husband's actions. For some reason she asked for me to forgive her, as well. Why? I don't know. Maybe just for being married to a bastard. I nodded my head dumbly, gazing over her shoulder meeting eyes of the cold-hearted bastard himself. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but I could tell that he was unhappy with Esme's affections towards me. After a quick kiss on my cheek, Esme turned away, stomping past Carlisle and through the office door without a second glance at anyone. I slumped back into my chair, running my fingers through my long hair. Alice remained on the couch and Carlisle, yet again, demanded for her to leave with him.

She stood from the couch, abandoning a forlorn looking Rose, and walked slowly to where Jasper stood, the gun still in his hands. She placed one hand on his shoulder, but he never turned his head, his gaze still settled on Carlisle's face.

"I...I think I'm going to stay for a little bit," Alice told her father quietly as she gazed at my cousin. Jasper's mouth turned down slightly and I could only wonder what was going through his mind. Carlisle shot us all one last angry glare before fleeing the room, leaving his weapon behind on the bookshelf. Jasper dropped the gun immediately, pulling his black Johnny cash shirt up in the back and placing it in his waistband of his ripped, worn jeans. Alice's eyes drifted to the sliver of exposed skin near his waist and I saw her chew thoughtfully on the corner of her bottom lip before dropping her hand from his shoulder.

Jasper turned, not glancing once at little Alice who stood by his side. "Are we cool?" he asked Edward, gesturing between the two of them, his face showing a bit of concern, very much unlike Jasper.

Edward gave him a serious nod, and said, "Completely." Jasper looked relieved, glancing down at Alice briefly, before running his fingers through his honey-blonde locks.

"I think I'm gonna go get some air," he muttered, backing up a couple of steps before strolling out of the room, removing his smokes as he left. Alice stood as still as a statue before Rose jumped up from the couch, shoving her towards the door.

"Go on, jackass. Go talk to him!" she hissed as Alice stumbled through the door. She gave me an apologetic smile before disappearing from the room, her small shoulders hunched in defeat.

"I think I'm gonna go blow off some steam downstairs in the gym," Emmett announced. "Are you gonna be okay, Bellarina?" my brother asked, his face drawn up in concern.

I nodded curtly, chewing on my bottom lip. He glanced at me cautiously and I gave him a weak smile. Emmett gave Edward a 'you better fix this shit' look before leaving the room, ripping his Bacon shirt off as he walked away, the muscles in his back rippling beneath his skin.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Bella?" Rose asked me, stooping down to where I sat, meeting me at eye level. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it in hers as I gave her the same weak smile that I gave my brother.

"No, I'm not alright...but I think I will be," I responded honestly.

To tell the truth, I was an emotional wreck. Rose gave my hand one last squeeze and after reminding me that I could talk to her anytime, about anything, she left the room, probably to seek either Alice or my overly angry brother.

"Bella, I'm so, so sorry for what my father put you through tonight," Edward whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

"I know," I replied, with a breathy sigh. Peering up into his somber eyes I attempted to smile, but it felt funny...out of place. "It's not your fault, Edward. You didn't know about the files. I don't blame _you_." My eyes drifted to the fireplace. The photographs and papers were now a mere pile of dark ashes.

"Come on, baby," Edward whispered. "Why don't you lay down for a while? I'll put away the leftovers and clean the dishes. I'll get Sam to help me..." his voice trailed off as he attempted to convince me to let him take care of everything.

Edward's offer was tempting, so I agreed, wanting more than anything to curl up in our warm bed, take a nap, and try to forget that Thanksgiving even occurred. Edward helped me up from the chair and guided me through the office and to our bedroom, his arm draped comfortingly around my shoulders. After one last chaste kiss on my forehead, he left me alone in our room, closing the door softly behind him. I heaved a heavy sigh, kicking off my awesome, expensive cowgirl boots and cheap Target dress. After throwing on one of Edward's heavenly scented shirts that I snagged out of the hamper and a clean pair of his boxers, rolled up at the waist, I snuggled beneath the covers of our huge bed, the events of the evening playing on repeat through my mind.

Carlisle had outed my past in front of everyone. There was a deep hatred that stirred within my soul for this man, but I prayed that somehow I could find it in my heart to forgive him for what he'd done. The reasonable side of me was telling me that he only had Edward's best interest at heart, but the very unreasonable side of me was telling me that I really needed to kick Carlisle Cullen's ass the next time he came anywhere near me. I cursed myself for not doing it tonight, but I knew that it would have only made matters worse.

There was no way I was going to sleep. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours I glanced at the gold alarm clock that sat on Edward's nightstand. It was eleven o'clock at night and Edward had yet to return to our bedroom. Shrugging the covers off me, I ambled across the room, quietly opening the door and slipping into the hallway. Making my way across the house, I heard muffled voices drifting from the living room.

I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, I really wasn't, but upon hearing my name come out of Sam's mouth, I stopped in my tracks, pressing myself against the wall near the living room.

"Bella shouldn't be put in that position again, to be around your father," I heard Sam telling Edward in a stern, yet soft voice. There was a long pause before Edward's silky voice drifted from the room

"Damnit! I want our first date to go perfectly! I owe it to her," he hissed. I heard a loud thump as though he'd hit something, causing me to jump a little.

"I know, Edward, but Bella will be happy wherever you take her. Don't worry about it. You'll just have to come up with something else," Sam said in a calm tone.

"Yes, but I know she'd love the Orpheum. I'd bet you a million dollars she's never been there. I had everything planned out perfectly. Damn Carlisle!" he swore before going silent. The Orpheum? I came out of my hiding spot, entering the room as the two men looked up at me hesitantly.

"What's going on?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips and staring at the two men who glanced at one another guiltily.

"Baby, you should be in the bed resting. You've had a horrible night. Let's go to bed, baby," Edward purred, ignoring my words.

"What's going on, Sam?" I asked Sam firmly, turning away from Edward's concerned eyes.

"Edward purchased tickets for the two of you to see _The Nutcracker _at Orpheum Theater," Sam explained as Edward gave him a dirty look. "He bought them a few days ago...but his parents purchased tickets as well, so you can see where the problem lies."

Edward planned on taking me to the Orpheum? An excited bubble swelled in my chest and a smile broke across my face, the first authentic smile in many hours. "Oh, my goodness! I've always wanted to go the Orpheum!" Images of the ornate theater swept through my mind...all courtesy of the internet, of course. There was never a time in my life where I'd allowed myself to spend my hard-earned money of frivolous things such as watching a musical, a play or a concert inside the huge, gorgeous theater.

"Bella, my parents will be there," Edward told me, his voice regretful. "There's no way I'll allow you anywhere near my father after what he did to you tonight."

"Screw Carlisle!" I snapped, scowling at the two men. "If you bought us tickets to the Orpheum then by gosh we're going to the Orpheum!" I stomped my foot like a small child having a temper tantrum.

Edward and Sam exchanged one last dubious glance before Sam shrugged, voicing that he was going back to the guest house to get some rest. Edward nodded as Sam departed, slipping through the back doors. Edward crossed the room, pulling me into his warm arms. I was still a little pissed that he even thought about cancelling our first date. How dare he let his jackass father destroy our_ first date_!

"We'll talk about it later," he whispered, as I frowned up at him. "Right now I just want to hold you."

Pressing my face into the crook of his neck, he swayed me in his arms, whispering sweet words to me, his breath tickling my ear. We stayed that way for a long moment, before I broke away, asking about Jasper and Emmett.

"Emmett eventually went to bed and Jasper...well, you'll just have to see for yourself," he chuckled, clasping his large hand in my small one and leading me across the room, my eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Edward simply shot me a crooked grin, guiding me into another room, towing me over to the window and pulling the heavy drapes back slightly. He nodded out into the darkness and I moved forward, peering through the window.

Pale moonlight washed over the garden that sat directly in front of us. The water from the waterfall cascaded against the rocks, and in my mind I could hear the soothing sound of the rushing water. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw two figures sitting on the garden swing. One was a lanky man, his feet pushing the swing back and forth as he stared down at his worn boots, his elbows propped on his knees, his fingers laced together. The other figure was a small woman, looking more like a teenage girl. She had her small legs folded beneath her in the swing as she sat sideways, staring at the man. Her hand reached out slowly as she gingerly ran her small fingers through his shaggy hair. Edward and I watched as he turned, the swing now slowing to a stop as the girl removed her fingers from his locks, the two of them staring at one another unmoving. Suddenly, the man reached out, capturing her small face in his hands. His mouth moved as he spoke to her and Edward and I watched with baited breaths as the man pulled her face to his, meeting her somewhere in the middle, their lips greeting one another slowly, tenderly.

At first. Slowly and tenderly, at first.

Edward and I simultaneously gasped when Alice realized she had enough of the slow, sensual first kiss. She threw herself on top of Jasper, straddling his lap as her mouth devoured his. The garden swing jerked awkwardly beneath them as Jasper returned her kiss, just as hungry, his lips eventually leaving her mouth and trailing down her neck as he made his way down to her chest, her head thrown back in ecstasy. Even through the walls of the house I could hear Alice's moan, my face practically glued to the glass. I wonder, briefly and a little smugly if Carlisle could hear her moaning next door. Without warning, Edward yanked the drapes back together, interrupting my perving on Alice and Jasper, causing me to let out a nervous squeak.

"Uh, I can't watch my sister do that," he shuddered, making a gagging sound.

I snorted, glad to finally have a little laughter and a lot of happiness surrounding me after the horrible night. Jasper and Alice both deserved to be happy, and I hoped that everything would work out between the two of them.

Plus, and I know it's kinda sorry of me to feel this way, but it thrilled me to no end that crime-boss Carlisle's daughter was currently macking on my FBI agent cousin. Take that, Carlisle Cullen!

Begrudgingly, I allowed Edward to pull me from the window and back to our bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and slipped under the covers beside me, pulling me into his arms. My fingers found their way to his chest and they danced along the surface of his skin, skimming across the poem scrawled elegantly across his ribs, but he caught my wrist with one hand, his eyes serious in the soft glow of the lamp nearby.

"Not tonight, baby," he whispered, watching my eyes widening. "Not tonight. Tonight I just want to hold you in my arms."

I nodded and he pulled me closer to him, his body warm and comforting against my own, as we both drifted into a deep sleep, my mind consumed with dreams of bacon-covered turkey, Berettas, and first kisses.

It was Friday and I was as happy as a pig playing in poop. Tonight I'd be going back to work and I really needed the distraction from the mess that occurred the night before. When I woke up I left my sexy man in the bed, softly snoring, as I stumbled into the kitchen to fix him an early breakfast, just in case he planned on going to his office in town today. Edward worked from his home office most of the time, but sometimes he actually went in to his office downtown. Crossing the house, I mentally pumped myself up to cook him the best breakfast ever.

Imagine my surprise as I walked into the kitchen, my eyes still blurry with sleep, to find my cousin whistling Dixie as he flipped pancakes on a griddle. He was wearing a white tee and faded blue jeans, slung low on his hips. There was a platter piled with bacon, a bowl of warm cheese grits with melted butter on top and a huge bowl full of soft, light yellow, scrambled eggs resting on the island in the kitchen.

And there was a timid looking pixie sitting at the bar staring at me shyly, with mascara smeared under her eyes, her short raven hair a ruffled mess.

"You dirty whore!" I hollered, slapping my hand over my mouth in awe.

Jasper jumped at the sound of my voice, the spatula slipping from his fingers and clattering to the floor. He scowled at me as he picked up the spatula from the marble floor, tossing it carelessly in the kitchen sink before snatching another one from a drawer.

"Bella Swan, you better watch your mouth before I wash it out with soap!" he threatened, looking irritated by my inappropriate comment as he turned back to the griddle, the top of his ears tinged in pink.

Jasper wasn't the type to be easily rattled, so of course I found his demeanor entirely too amusing.

"Save the soap for yourself," I giggled. "You're gonna need it to wash all the Alice off of you."

I slapped my hand over my mouth again as Alice gawked at me, her cheeks staining red.

"Isabella Marie Swan," Jasper scolded, turning from the griddle and pointing the spatula at me. "I've done told you once...watch your mouth!"

I couldn't help but snort as I walked around the bar and hopped up on a stool next to my friend. She rolled her eyes as my wicked grin, mumbling,"We just stayed up all night and talked...geeze."

"Uh huh," I muttered unconvincingly as Jasper piled a plate full of buttermilk pancakes. Emmett could be heard lumbering down the stairs and we all turned to greet him as he strolled into the room.

"I could smell that food all the way upstairs," he sang, his dark brown hair disheveled from sleep.

Emmett wore a grin on his face, his dimples shining on his cheeks. Spotting Alice blushing at the bar, he grabbed a stool of his own, perching on it by her side.

"You didn't have to get all dolled up on my account, darlin'," Emmett joked, sending me an evil wink. "I mean, I like the 'I haven't had a bath since yesterday and I'm wearing the same clothes from last night' look."

Alice jabbed him in the ribs with her skinny elbow, causing him to bend over and wince in pain.

I was about to run back to our bedroom to wake Edward up for breakfast when he entered the room, looking slightly startled by his sister's appearance. He stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes first at Alice and then at my cousin as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.

Jasper handed Alice a plate of food that he fixed for her and quietly asked Edward if he could speak with him in private, looking somewhat nervous as his eyes darted from Edward to the floor. Edward nodded, looking somewhat nervous himself as the two men wandered silently out of the room, drifting in the direction of Edward's office where they remained for a long time.

"Does Edward have his gun on him?" Emmett asked jokingly, shoving an enormous amount of greasy bacon in his mouth, one slice slapping him on his chin. Alice turned pale, stabbing her eggs with her fork, basically just pushing the food around her plate without eating a bite.

"It's gonna be okay, Al," I assured my friend, patting her affectionately on her back. She nodded but looked very doubtful, her small eyebrows bunched up in worry and dread.

Jasper and Edward returned to the room just as Emmett and I polished off our meal. They were laughing about something and Edward sort of shoulder punched Jasper in a friendly sort of way. I smirked at Alice as Jasper slid onto my abandoned stool as I washed mine and Emmett's dishes in the sink. Jasper leaned over and kissed her delicately on the cheek, causing her to blink in surprise as her brother looked on with a slight smile on his face.

"Here you go, baby," I murmured, sliding Edward a plate of food and leaning across the bar, giving him a kiss on the cheek of his own. Emmett sat scowling nearby.

"Everybody's got someone but me," he complained, his mouth drawn into a frown. "I think I'm gonna have to give up on Rosie. She's just not into me." He shrugged and left the room as I gazed sadly at his retreating figure.

"Poor Em," I murmured, racking my brain for possible people to set him up with. He and Rose would be a match made in heaven, but she continuously turned down his advances time after time.

"Give Rose time," Alice spoke up, pushing her plate away as she gave Jasper a sideways glance. "She has a hard time trusting people. She has a wall around her heart that has to be taken down brick by brick. It'll just take a little time."

Edward and Jasper began talking football at the bar. Alice helped me finish clearing away the breakfast dishes and we chatted quietly about the club, about Edward, Jasper, Emmett and Rose. We conversed about everything besides the events of the night before, carefully constructing our conversation to avoid the sensitive subject. She left, eventually, with Jasper walking her out to her vehicle as she cast one last wave over her shoulder, rolling her eyes as my smug grin.

"What did you and Jasper talk about in your office?" I asked Edward, eagerly leaning on the bar.

"He asked to 'court' my sister," he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement, his unruly hair falling in his eyes before he shoved it away. "I like Jasper. He's different, but what you see is what you get. That's a rare quality in a person." I nodded thoughtfully at Edward's correct assessment of my cousin.

Edward eventually did leave to go to his office downtown, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on my cheek as I scowled at his twinkling eyes. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and doing laundry. Sam harassed me throughout the day. Once, after cleaning the dishes from lunch, I turned the faucet on at the kitchen sink and was immediately doused with water from the sink hose where he'd wrapped a rubber hand around the handle. I stood there in shock, unable to move, as freezing cold water shot out all over the front of my shirt. Finally, I grabbed the handle to the faucet, twisting it off and glaring at my soon to be dead bodyguard who sat at the bar laughing hysterically at me, his brown eyes overflowing with tears. I chased him around the house for twenty minutes straight as he darted from room to room with me on his heels before finally jumping on his big back in the living room, the two of us falling to the floor in a heap of giggles.

Sam drove me, Edward, Emmett and Jasper to work that night, and I was super excited to see Tia and Carmen. I practically ran into the club with an exasperated Edward chasing behind me as I clocked in and greeted my friends at the bar.

"Oh, hell!" Tia muttered, her eyes darting to the door. I glanced over my shoulder and watched as Jasper strolled in the club for the very first time, his eyes taking in everything. "How in the hell am I supposed to concentrate tonight with that fine ass man in this club?"

"Ohhhh...I think I just creamed my panties," Carmen moaned, leaning over the bar, molesting my cousin with her eyes...and probably her mind.

"That's...disgusting. And disturbing. Please don't every say 'creamed my panties' in front of me every again," I muttered, wrinkling my nose in disgust. Tia laughed but Carmen continued to drool over Jasper, watching as Edward escorted him to a roped-off VIP area.

"Besides," I added, noticing Alice enter the club in a tight, hot pink dress, the sides black as night. "I'm pretty sure Jasper and Alice are a couple now."

"You're cousin is with that tweaker? What the hell? What is this world coming to?" Tia scowled, wiping the bar down with a wash cloth as she murdered Alice with her eyes. Alice, noticing her gaze, raised an eyebrow and flounced over to where Jasper sat, sliding in the booth beside him before dropping a kiss on the corner of his mouth. He rewarded her with a crooked grin.

They continued to mutter and complain as the club opened. We got to work, Tia and Carmen serving their customers at the bar as I served drinks to the customers around the club. I could feel Edward's eyes on me all night as he sat in the booth with Alice and Jasper. As the night wore on, my mind stayed busy with remembering drink orders and table numbers.

Just as the club was about to close, Jessica Stanley stomped across the room, glaring at me, her overly processed, bleach-blonde hair glaring harshly under the overhead strobe lights. She shoved a large manila envelope into my hands as I stood gawking at her in confusion. My name scrawled neatly across the front of the envelope and I held it up, raising one eyebrow in question.

"Just because you're screwing the owner doesn't make me your damn messenger girl, or whateverrrr," she spat, her voice sounding like some messed up version of what would happen if a redneck and a valley girl had a baby together. She placed her hands upon her hips, frowning at me.

"What is this?" I mumbled, grabbing the metal prongs that held the flap of the envelope in place as I squeezed them together.

"How am I supposed to know?" she replied in a snarky voice, rolling her eyes. "Some guy just left it at the bar and told me to deliver it to you."

My heart stopped beating for a moment, before chugging into overdrive. My fingers paused on the prong, knowing, somehow, that whatever was in this envelope was something bad. Something really, really bad. I glanced nervously over Jessica's shoulder and met Edward's eyes as he watched me curiously from the booth. There was no more hiding things from him...that was the old Bella. The Bella who thought she could do things without the help of others. I shoved my way past Jessica's skanky self, sending her stumbling on her trashy spike heels and lumbered to the booth, tossing the envelope silently on the table.

Edward, Jasper and Alice stared at it curiously before Edward picked it up slowly, asking what it was. I shrugged, crossing my arms across my chest, tapping my foot nervously as I explained the things that Jessica told me. Edward and Jasper shot each other one last glance before Edward raised the flap of the envelope, shaking its contents out on the tabletop as I stood watching them quietly.

Photographs. Grainy, long distance photographs. My life in photographs. Edward perched on one knee in front of me, ring in hand, as I sat on a park bench, looking terrified and simultaneously excited. Me, Rose and Alice in Target, shopping for discount dresses. Jasper standing quietly outside the bar across the street, smoking a cigarillo. Tia and Carmen laughing as they strolled drunkenly down Beale Street, their arms looped through one another. Emmett driving his new, white truck, a happy smile plastered on his face, his arm hanging out the window, the breeze billowing through his adorable curls. Jasper and Alice sitting on a garden swing, gazing admiringly at one another. And even Angela, holding Eric on one hip walking down a busy sidewalk, Eric's face lit up with a grin as Angie stared lovingly at her son.

There was a yellow, folded piece of paper within the photos that I snatched from Edward's hands as he picked it up. He stood as I unfolded the note, my eyes scanning it rapidly, reading, practically breathing in the neatly printed words, my heart pounding in my chest as though it was about to explode.

_My Dearest Isabella,_

_Big Daddy Cullen's not the only person with photographs, is he? Which one of these people should die first, Isabella? Find me. I grow impatient._

_With Sincerest Regards,_

_James_

"What does it say?" Alice whispered, picking up the photograph of her and Jasper sitting on the garden swing, the photograph trembling in her small hands.

I handed the note to Edward, slumping down in the booth beside him, completely ignoring any of my remaining customers as James' words ran through my mind.

"Some of these photographs...and how he knew about Carlisle...this can only mean one thing," Edward said, looking up and meeting Jasper's knowing eyes.

"What?" I mumbled, staring at the two men as they seemed to silently communicate with one another.

Jasper took a deep breath, taking the photograph from Alice's fingers and staring down at it pensively, before tossing it across the table at me. I gazed down at it, noticing that it was much clearer than the other photos, as though someone took them at a closer range.

"It means, my dear cousin," Jasper drawled, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned back thoughtfully in the booth. "That someone we know, someone we trust, is working for James, on the inside."

My eyes darted around the club, meeting Sam's eyes across the room as he watched us curiously. Liam was standing near the door as usual, his eyes darting around the room at the happy, dancing customers. My eyes then landed on Tia and Carmen as they snickered among themselves, mixing drinks. "But who?" I moaned, miserably.

"Now that, my dear cousin, is the million dollar question," he replied, blowing one last smoke ring into the air. We watched as it drifted to the ceiling, the smoke ring flashing from red to blue to yellow beneath the strobe lights before it slowly drifted into nothingness, our minds consumed with thoughts of the inside man.

* * *

**A/N:**** Hmmmm...who's the inside man? Leave me some reviews peeps ;)**


	17. Chapter 17: Explosion In The Chamber

_Previously, in Chapter Sixteen..._

_My eyes darted around the club, meeting Sam's eyes across the room as he watched us curiously. Liam was standing near the door as usual, his eyes darting around the room at the happy, dancing customers. My eyes then landed on Tia and Carmen as they snickered among themselves, mixing drinks. "But who?" I moaned, miserably._

_"Now that, my dear cousin, is the million dollar question," he replied, blowing one last smoke ring into the air. We watched as it drifted to the ceiling, the ring flashing from red to blue to yellow beneath the strobe lights, our minds consumed with thoughts of the inside man_.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Explosion In The Chamber

Things after that became a little...hectic.

"Everyone get the hell out!" Edward screamed as he stood from the booth, his angry voice somehow breaking across the thumping, erotic music pouring from the speakers in the club. "You ain't gotta go home, but you can't stay here!"

The few remaining, frightened patrons dressed in black and bold colors began scurrying out the front doors as Liam stood near the doors, staring at his boss in confusion. Edward gestured for me to stand, and I did, as he took my hand, telling Jasper to get Emmett and meet him in his office. Jasper gave him a curt nod. He and Alice slid from the booth and disappeared through the doors to find Emmett.

I stood quietly beside Edward as he informed Liam of what had transpired. Liam stood silently, nodding occasionally, as Edward instructed him to walk Tia and Carmen to Carmen's vehicle and follow them home, making sure they arrived safely. Liam agreed and I watched as he crossed the club over to the bar and talked quietly to my friends. Their worried eyes darted to mine and I ducked my head, shameful of the mess I had caused. I wouldn't tell Edward, of course, because it would just infuriate him, but I truly believed that it was my fault my friends and family were in harm's way. If not for me, these people could lead normal lives. I hated myself for the mess that I caused.

Edward then approached Jessica, who was now perched at the bar coating her whoreish lips with tacky hot-pink lipstick. When she noticed Edward approaching, she snapped her compact shut, capping the tube of lipstick and giving him a bright smile, revealing her big front teeth that just so happened to be smeared in lipstick. Edward cringed as she hopped off the bar stool, grinning like an opossum at him, jutting her big, fake boobs toward his face as she flipped her long, bleached hair over one shoulder.

"Hey, Edward," she crooned, batting her long, clumpy black eyelashes. I glared at her, peeved at her earlier words and her behavior towards my fiancé.

"Ms. Stanley, I need to speak to you about the envelope you gave Bella earlier," Edward explained, taking a step back when Jessica shuffled closer to him.

The bright smile fell from her face momentarily as she shot me a dirty look. Her eyes then quickly returned to Edward who glared down at her irritably as he clenched his hands at his sides.

"Oh, you can call me Jessica, Edward," she purred, running her fingers up his arm.

I stepped forward to possibly sock her in her big, puffy mouth, but Edward stopped me, throwing one arm up in front of me as he caught my movement out of the corner of his eye.

"I prefer to keep things formal, Ms. Stanley," he told her coldly, firmly removing her hand from his arm. "And it's 'Mr. Cullen' to you. Please don't forget your place, my dear."

Jessica scowled at him, planting her hands on her hips, her long, acrylic fingernails reminding me of Tanya's.

"Fine," she hissed, glaring at me once again. "What do you need to know?" She began snapping her gum in irritation, smirking as I glowered at her.

She was enjoying my hatred far too much.

"The person who gave you the envelope...describe them to me," he told her, his eyes boring into hers.

She rolled her eyes and glanced over one shoulder towards the bar where Tia and Carmen were busily finishing up their work. Jessica's face was a mask of boredom as she glanced back at Edward.

"Ummmm...like...it was a guy, or whateverrr. Annnddd...umm...I mean, I dunno," she mumbled and shrugged, popping her gum between words.

I could tell Edward was about to explode. His face began to turn red and his eyes turned from pine green to practically black as he glared at her. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, and said, "Can you tell me anything about this man? Was he tall? Short? Thin? Fat? Scars? Tattoos? White? Black? Portuguese? I don't give a fuck what you tell me, just tell me something, _anything_ about this man."

"Ummm...well, he wasn't tall, but he wasn't short...and he wasn't fat, but not really thin..." she told him thoughtfully, staring into the air as her mind wandered. I wasn't sure if she was pretending to be dense, or if she actually was that slow.

"Okay," Edward growled, running one hand through his hair. I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. He took another deep breath as Jessica glared at me. "Did he say anything to you?" he asked the silly blonde.

Jessica bit the corner of her bottom lip, exposing her lipstick coated teeth once again as she continued to look thoughtful. "Ummmm...well, like, he, like said to give the envelope to Bella Swan. I told him I wasn't his delivery girl. He offered me fifty bucks or whatever and I was like 'okay' cause, you know, I really like money or whateverrr."

Edward reached into his pocket after she spoke, and the brief thought of him reaching for his gun to blow off her dingy head flashed through my mind. Imagine my disappointment when he removed his wallet and fished a one hundred-dollar bill out, waving it in front of her the way you would wave a stick in front of a dog. Her eyes grew big and she grinned excitedly at the cash as he offered it to her.

"Give me the fifty dollars and you can have this," he offered as she peered at him, her pencil thin eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

"That doesn't make sense or whatever, but sure, here ya go," she shrugged, reaching down the front of her skin-tight black dress and removing a fifty dollar bill from her bra. She handed it to Edward and he held the corner of the bill as though it were diseased...which it possibly was..before carefully placing it in his wallet and thanking her. She grinned like a fool, taking a step forward, but Edward whirled around and practically dragged me towards the hallway that led to his office.

"What was that about?" I asked, struggling to keep up with him as he rushed us away.

"Fingerprints," he explained. "There will be fingerprints on the bill. I'll have it analyzed...we'll know in a couple of days who brought the envelope in. My associate will rush it for me."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise, although it shouldn't shock me that Edward had those sort of connections in the world.

Edward unlocked his office door just as Emmett, Jasper and Alice arrived in the hallway. Edward opened the door and we all filed in. One side of the office now held a desk with monitors from the security cameras. Different screens held different views of the inside of the club, the alley where James attacked Drunk Jesus, and even the front door of the club. Edward pulled a chair in front of the monitors and began fiddling with some buttons, rewinding the footage of the camera pointed at the bar as Emmett and Jasper stood behind him, peering carefully at the monitors.

Alice perched on the top of Edward's desk and I sat on the leather swivel chair, shoving my thumb in my mouth and working on the fingernail. I chewed it down to a blood nub as Edward, Emmett and Jasper all bent in at one time, the monitor hidden from our view as they watched the screen. The only sound in the room was from Alice, who nervously drummed her fingers on the desk that she sat on.

"There he is, talking to Ms. Stanley at the bar," Edward whispered as the boys leaned forward.

"Okay, so we have the time that he walked in and sat down," Emmett told him, his face holding a bit of excitement. "Now, go to the monitor that's in front of the club and see if you can find him. The one outside isn't infrared, so we'll be able to see his face clearly. The front of the club is lit up like Christmas night, so we should get a good view of him."

Edward nodded and turned to another monitor as I stared at the back of his head as it obscured my view, yet again.

"Who is he?" Jasper asked Edward minutes later, his eyes zeroed in on the screen.

"I don't have a clue," Edward muttered, bitterly. "But we'll find out."

Emmett asked Edward to zoom in on the man's face. Edward fiddled around with the expensive equipment and I watched wide-eyed as a small printer even spit out a close-up printout of the man's face. Edward snatched it from the printer, spinning around in his chair and holding it for Alice and I to see. We exchanged nervous glances and then both leaned forward, peering at the printout curiously.

The picture was perfect, really. The guy looked up at the camera just as he entered the club, the image capturing his momentary nervousness as he spotted the camera pointing in his direction. The young man was in his early twenties and was quite handsome, which led me to believe that Jessica had, in fact, been dishonest with her memory of him. Jessica never forgets a handsome face, and this guy was certainly handsome. He was tall, around six-two, with sandy brown hair and matching brown eyes. His body was lean, but athletic, and he wore a navy button-up shirt and dark washed jeans. He had a long shaped face and his eyes held long, thick eyelashes, topped with low-lying serious eyebrows. He stared into the camera as though he were staring straight at me, and I didn't have a clue about his identity.

"Do either one of you know this man?" Edward asked, a flash of hope in his beautiful green eyes. Alice and I exchanged another look before we both shook our heads in regret. He heaved a heavy sigh, turning the photograph around in his hands as he stared down at it, his face masked in disappointment.

"So, what do we do now?" Emmett asked Edward, cracking his knuckles as he lumbered over him, staring down at the photograph.

"Now we go and let the girls get some rest," Edward replied, shooting me a 'don't argue with me look'. "And I'm going to sit down and figure out who all has access to the property. It's not a long list, mostly just security people. Whoever took the photo of Jasper and Alice was on my property and was either let in by someone who works for me or put in the code to the front gate themselves. I'm not sure if this is the man who took the photos or if he was simply used to deliver the package. That's what we've got to figure out. Tomorrow I'll give my associate the fifty dollar bill the man gave Ms. Stanley and have him analyze it for fingerprints."

"So, I guess I'll meet up with Embry and let him walk me to my car?" Alice asked, sliding from the desk and landing on her heels. Jasper raised an eyebrow, asking who exactly Embry was.

"He works for Edward. He walks me to my car when I work," she answered, shrugging.

"Not anymore, darlin'. That's my job now. And you're not leaving my sight until we get this mess straightened out," Jasper replied, raising his chin slightly and staring at her coolly, his eyes daring her to argue. "Don't you agree, Edward?" he asked his new friend as an afterthought.

"Actually, I do," he told my cousin, sounding surprised with his own admission. He'd obviously grown to trust Jasper enough to let him protect his only sibling and I felt my heart swell with happiness at the thought. "But I don't feel safe going back to the house right now...let's stay somewhere else tonight while I get everything sorted out. I'm going to make some calls in the morning and get some security cameras installed around the property. First I need to get the codes changed at the front gate. Let me talk to Liam and make some arrangements for us to stay somewhere tonight." We all nodded at him and I was relieved, to say the least, not to go home tonight. The thought of some strange man lurking around the property with a camera gave me the major heebie jeebies. Edward left us in the office, removing his cell from his pocket as he closed the door gently behind him.

"What's the guy's name that walks you to your car, little darlin'?" Jasper asked Alice with a soft smile removing his own cell from the back pocket of his worn jeans.

"Embry. Embry Call. Why?" she asked, her face drawn in confusion. Jasper began tapping away at his phone, the telltale sound of a text being sent sounding out softly in the air.

"No reason," he replied, shoving the cell into his back pocket and pulling Alice into his arms.

Jasper rested his chin on the top of her head as she gently sighed, resting her face in the crook of his neck. They seemed to fit together perfectly, as his arms wrapped softly around her waist and her arms draped over his shoulders. The two of them looked a tad odd together. Jasper was the epitome of a good old boy and Alice was covered in funky, colorful tattoos, but somehow it worked.

Emmett, still a little bitter in his loneliness, scowled at the couple, crossing his arms over his chest and pursing his lips as he stared at the computer monitors. Edward returned a minute later with his long trusted bodyguard at his side. Liam looked extremely pissed, dropping his normally calm façade.

"Alright folks. I got us some rooms at the Peabody. Let's go," Edward announced, handing me my coat that he must have grabbed from the employee lounge. We walked out of the club, flanked by Liam, Sam nowhere in sight. I wanted to question him about Sam's absence, but found that it probably wasn't a good idea since he didn't look too happy at the moment.

We didn't even have to drive to the Peabody Hotel, as it was only a few blocks walk. We arrived at the tall, faded red brick building moments later, the massive words 'The Peabody' shining in bright red lights atop the building. A doorman, dressed in black, held open the glass doors for us, tipping his hat as we passed by. We entered a fancy lobby, the floors covered with expensive rugs and vases and approached a shiny desk, just past a large fountain. A massive chandelier hung overhead, looking as big as a Mack truck. I heard Edward's name being spoken and turned my head to see a couple of female hotel staff members whispering to one another, staring at my fiancé like he was a piece of meat. They both trampled away after one stern glare from me, noticing my hand grasped firmly in his.

An older woman sat at the desk, probably in her late fifties, wearing a black suit jacket and matching pleated skirt. She had puffy red hair and a thick pair of horn-rimmed glasses sat across her wrinkled face, blurring her watery blue eyes. Edward spoke to the woman who batted her eyes flirtatiously at him. He was getting irritated, I could tell by the way he glared at the old biddy. She shrunk at his gaze typing away at the computer with her long, polished nails, looking severely wounded by his hostility.

"Okay, Mr. Cullen. I have one room with two double beds and one with a king size, would that be all for you this evening?" she asked, glancing over her glasses at Edward.

"Perfect," Edward hissed, sliding her his shiny black credit card.

She ran the card through the machine and it spit out a slip of paper. He signed the slip, pocketing the receipt and snatching away the key cards that she passed him. She gawked at us as Edward all but carried me to the ordinate gold elevator, Alice, Jasper and Liam running to catch up.

"Where's the fire, man?" Emmett cracked at Edward, winking as a curvy blonde and her red-headed friend swung their hips for him as they exited the elevator. Alice shook her head in disappointment as the doors closed behind us, Liam standing protectively in front of our group as the blonde and red-head blew Emmett a kiss goodbye. He chuckled quietly to himself saying, "This old boy's still got it."

"I'm just ready to sit down and figure all this out," Edward explained, yanking at his hair before I physically removed his fingers from his moppy mess. He gave me an apologetic smile, pulling me to his side as he kissed me gently on my forehead. I felt his hand creep from the small of my back and onto my bottom as he gave it a hard squeeze, a squeak of surprise leaving my mouth as he shot me a wicked grin.

"Can't y'all keep your hands off each other for one minute? Geeze, man," Emmett muttered as the elevator lurched upward.

I grabbed the shiny golden handrail behind me, ignoring Emmett's comment, taking deep breaths as Edward whispered comforting words in my ears. We finally reached our destination and the doors swung open as I breathed a sigh of relief. We exited the elevator behind Liam, pouring into the hallway as Edward called out our room numbers.

The boys spent the rest of the night hunched over a table talking quietly among themselves. Alice and I lay awkwardly in our dresses under the covers of our beds, trying to ignore the boy's quiet voices and our own troubled thoughts. Eventually, the two of us drifted to sleep and I only awoke when I felt Edward's warm arms around me, lifting me out of the bed.

"Where are we going?" I asked him sleepily as he carried me to our adjoining room.

Glancing over his shoulder, I watched as Emmett slipped into my now abandoned bed and Jasper sat on the edge of the bed Alice slept in, quietly removing his old boots as Alice slept peacefully nearby. Liam sat on an elegant cream-colored chair near the window, staring down at the street below him, a look of concern dancing across his features.

"We're going to our room so we can get some rest," he explained, kissing me softly on the mouth as he carried me bridal style into our room and laid me down on the bed.

Glad to escape the prying eyes of my friends and family, I stripped the club dress from my body and looked up, noticing the flash of desire that lay in Edward's green eyes.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" he hissed, slowly removing his shirt and exposing his ripped chest and abdomen.

My eyes wandered over his skin, over his tattoo and down to that deep V that led to the promised land as I licked my lips.

"What? This?" I asked innocently, gesturing to my sheer black lace bra and panty set.

Alice purchased it for me on the sly and I thought I'd never wear it. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but the look on Edward's face was worth all the pain I had to endure from the lacy thongs.

"I've never seen you wear anything like that before..." his words drifted away, his erection pressing tightly against his jeans.

Edward smirked at me as he watched my eyes gazing lustfully at his crotch. He brought his hand down to his erection and began palming it through his jeans, causing me to suck my bottom lip into my mouth in awe. Edward stopped long enough to drop his jeans and boxers before stroking himself again, walking towards me where I sat on the bed.

"You like what you see, Ms. Swan?" he asked, his voice husky. I nodded as he stroked his length, his knees now hitting the edge of the bed. He stared down at me darkly as I licked my lips and crawled across the bed to him.

"No, no, Ms. Swan," he said, his voice slightly threatening. I loved this game...the way he spoke to me when we were alone together, the things he did to me. And he knew it. "Don't forget who's in control here, baby," he warned.

"Yes sir," I replied, sitting on my knees on top of the bed, watching him innocently.

"Good girl," he told me, running his fingers through my hair as he continued to stroke himself with one hand. My eyes tried to hold his as he stared down at me, but it was a struggle to do so as he stood closely by, pleasuring himself.

"Do you want to suck my cock, Bella?" he asked me, grasping my chin tightly in his hand.

I nodded, licking my lips in response as he laughed darkly. He guided my head down and I opened my mouth immediately, taking him in as much as I could as I licked and sucked, enjoying the way he hissed when I palmed his balls in my hand. He guided my head up and down just the way he liked it and, where most women might find this degrading, it completely thrilled me.

When he had enough of that he tossed me sideways on the bed, twisting my body where my back planted firmly against the mattress, but my legs twisted to one side. Ripping my underwear from my body, he pushed his fingers deeply into my wet entrance and I moaned as he found my spot, this new position he'd put me in seemingly intensifying my pleasure.

"You like that?" he asked and I nodded wordlessly as he explored even deeper, making me gasp and moan.

Without warning he removed his fingers and plunged his length inside of me, a cry of pleasure escaping my lips. He commanded me to draw my knees up to my side as far as I could. I did so as he slammed his hips against my body. I gasped at the new sensation, as he hit me just the right way every time. He moaned and cursed, very dirty things stringing from his lips as he plowed into me, taking one breast in his hand as he pinched and rolled my nipple between his fingers. I screamed one last time and came undone, clenching around him as he let himself go as well, filling me with his wetness.

After taking a short shower, we both crawled into bed with one another, naked and sated, his arms wrapped around me as we drifted to sleep.

~bb~

The next day Edward went off the deep end.

I'd always wanted to watch the duck parade in the Peabody, a tradition that went back to the nineteen thirties when the general manager, drunk on Tennessee whiskey and home from a duck hunting trip, thought it'd be a good idea to place live ducks in the hotel fountain, unknowingly starting an age-old tradition. Nowadays, a sharply dressed man in a red suit jacket would escort a group of live ducks through the Peabody as they walked in a single file line and jumped into the hotel fountain, where they would swim around among themselves. The ducks were famous in Memphis, and it'd always been something I'd wanted to see. Unfortunately, we overslept and missed the parade which took place at eleven in the morning. As we left the Peabody, Edward snapped at me as I whined childishly about missing the duck parade.

"If you want to see the fucking ducks I will bring you back to see the fucking ducks. Why the hell you want to watch a bunch of ducks waddle through a hotel and jump into a fountain is beyond me," he snapped, irritated by my childish whining. "Now shut up before I bend you over this car and punish you in front of your family," he whispered into my ear, pinching my ass as I crawled into the backseat of his car. I wanted to be angry with his words, but of course all they did was turn me on.

I could still pretend that I was angry. I glared at Edward the entire way home as he anxiously fiddled with a piece of paper in his hands, his list of possible suspects scrawled across the cream-colored page of hotel stationery. He scowled the entire way home, his thick eyebrows knotted in anger, even popping off at something Liam said to me, which surprised me. I'd never heard Edward talk to Liam like that.

Apparently the new security cameras were installed on the property while we stayed at the hotel and the front gate code had changed as well. Edward was anxious to get home and work with Jasper and Emmett on figuring out who in his staff had betrayed him.

We arrived home and poured out of the vehicle. I immediately went upstairs to change clothes, tired of the tight club dress Alice insisted on us wearing. After that I fixed a late lunch that only Alice, Sam and I consumed because the boys were all hiding out in Edward's office going over his list. Alice put away the leftovers and cleaned the dishes, voicing that she was going to veg out in front of the television for a while. I watched from my bar stool as she wandered into the living room. My shoulders hurt from all the stress of the night before, and I found myself reaching awkwardly for a knot that had developed in my back that I just couldn't reach.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, staring at me as I tried, in vain, to reach the spot.

"I've got a stress knot in my back but I can't reach it," I told him, stretching my neck as I tried to work out the kinks. He shoved my hand away and grasped my shoulders, rubbing his thumbs firmly into my skin, working the muscles beneath. It was painfully blissful and I couldn't help the moan that left my lips as the knot slowly began to dissipate. Sam chuckled at me humorously, but then froze and I glanced up to see what stopped him from his actions.

Edward stood across the room, a murderous expression on his face, his hands balled into tight, white fists by his sides. Jasper and Emmett entered the room behind him chatting quietly to one another, but stopped as they noticed their friend frozen in his stance. Their eyes honed in on Sam's hands that paralyzed innocently on my shoulders and they exchanged an awkward glance. Suddenly, Sam dropped his hands quickly as I glanced at Edward in confusion. Sam stood up from the stool, holding his hands up in a surrendering pose, his face shrouded in terror.

He said, "I can explain" just as I said, "What's going on?"

Edward's only response was to fly across the room, slamming his fist into Sam's mouth, his head spinning around so quickly I was sure he'd broken his neck. I screamed in terror as Sam fell to the floor, his bottom lip split in half and pouring blood. He struggled to hold Edward off him as Edward beat him with his fists, his body moving like a panther attacking his prey.

I tried, in vain, to pull Edward from Sam as he struck him again and again, his face now swollen and bloody. Edward, never glancing up, shoved me away and I skidded across the marble floor, the bottom of my cowgirl boots too slick against the shiny surface. My feet flew out from under me as I landed near the bar on my bottom, catching myself with my hands. A white-hot flash of pain shot up my right wrist as I landed and I cursed, immediately grabbing the sore wrist with my left hand and cradling it as I continued to watch the horror fold out in front of me. Alice ran from the living room, her eyes as big as saucers and her mouth gaping open. Her view drifted to me and she darted across the room quickly, stooping over to check on me, her flowing pastel skirt pooling around her legs as she bent down.

"Don't worry about me!" I scolded, shoving away her probing fingers with my good hand. "Worry about Edward! He's gonna kill Sam!"

We watched as Emmett and Jasper struggled to remove Edward from Sam, who continued to try to avoid Edward's swings as he lay on his back, his hands thrown up in defense. Edward kicked and twisted as he tried to get away from Emmett, but he wasn't strong enough. He finally went limp with Alice's enraged words.

"You son of a bitch! You hurt Bella!" she cried, standing at her full, tiny height, glaring at her brother as she now pointed at Sam. "And you just about killed Sam! What the hell is going on?"

"He had his hands all over her!" Edward screamed, the anger still etched on his face along with a new sense of worry as he stared at me sitting on the floor.

I continued to nurse my sore wrist, but my eyes broke free from his, watching Sam worriedly as he stood up, wiping the blood from his lip and looking guiltily at Edward. He should have been furious with him! What he'd done was innocent and Edward had acted like a jealous bastard!

"He was working out a knot in my back, you moron!" I hissed, trying to stand up as Alice assisted me. My wrist was slowly swelling and I tried to ignore the sharp pain as it shot up my arm, but it was difficult. "I told him it was hurting and he tried to help me!"

"He knows the rules! No one touches you!" he snapped, his eyes flashing to Sam's.

Sam hung his head, muttering his apologies as Alice shook her head in disappointment. I watched as she walked to the freezer and removed two bags of frozen peas, tossing one to Sam and bringing the other one to me, pressing it against my tender wrist. I bit my lip as the pain hit again and felt Edward's worried eyes on me.

"Baby, are you okay? Oh, my God, I didn't mean to hurt you," he tried to break free from Jasper and Emmett's grasp but couldn't and he glared at the men, a new form of anger developing deep inside him.

"Man, you gotta calm down and I'll let you go, okay?" Emmett told him patiently, holding his arm firmly with his big hands.

Edward nodded, his green eyes drifting back to mine with concern as he took deep, comforting breaths. I heard Sam mutter an unfounded apology before quietly excusing himself to go to the guest house, his eyes glancing sadly at his boss and friend. I watched him with remorse as he quietly disappeared through the doors and shot Edward a hostile glare, annoyed with his overreaction.

"There's an Ace bandage somewhere down here, right?" Alice asked and I nodded and she helped me up from the floor.

She walked away with me, after sending her brother one last glare, her arm draped delicately across my shoulders as we entered the large master bath connected with mine and Edward's room. There wasn't a medicine cabinet in the bathroom, just large mirrors that hung over the double vanity. Edward stored all the medicine and first aid supplies in a large, plastic container that Alice fished from the bottom cabinet. She dug around the supplies until her face lit up, holding a bandage in the air with a bright smile. I hopped up on the vanity with a small degree of difficulty. Alice removed the peas from my wrist as she gently began to wrap my wrist in the bandage, finishing it by attaching small metal clasps at the end. I dropped my sore wrist in my lap and peered up in her conflicted eyes.

"He didn't mean to hurt you...you know that right?" she asked softly, staring at me in seriousness.

I nodded, biting my lip as I remembered Edward shoving me away, not even glancing up at who had approached him. He didn't even know it was me, but it still hurt me deep inside to know that he pushed me away like he did.

"He just...gah...he just loves you _so_ much! I've never seen anyone look at another person the way he looks at you. You can just feel it in the air when he stares at you. It's so _intense_. If Jasper and Emmett hadn't walked in behind him...Sam would probably be dead now. And that's what's so crazy because Edward and Sam have been friends for years and years...way before Sam started working for him. I've never even seen them mince words before," she mused, staring at the ceiling in thought. I sat quietly listening to her words, knowing the depth of which Edward loved me, but still upset with his actions. What he did to Sam was uncalled for and injured me in the process. What if it had been worse? I shuddered to think of the possibilities.

A soft knock interrupted our thoughts and we both looked to the doorway where Edward stood, without Jasper and Emmett this time. His face masked in guilt and worry as he ran his fingers through his hair, staring at me where I sat near his sister. She gave me one last sympathetic look before she left the room, her heels clacking against the floor as she scowled at her brother. He walked into the room quietly, approaching me as though I were a wounded animal. I was sitting on the vanity and he brought himself between my legs, placing his hands on either side of my waist, trying to meet my eyes. My head ducked down as I stared stubbornly at my sore wrist, unsure if I was ready to even talk to him at this point.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice strained with regret. "You know I'd never intentionally hurt you. I'm so fucking sorry, baby."

I sat quietly for a moment, thinking of how to respond. He grew impatient by my muteness, lifting my chin and raising my head to meet his eyes. He stared at me intently, and I saw it. I saw the regret, the guilt and the love that Alice had explained. It was all there, swimming in those green orbs as he tried to convey with his eyes his thoughts, his feelings.

"I'm not going to tell you that what happened was okay, because it's not," I explained softly, now staring at his pretty, pink lips. "You acted like a jealous high school boyfriend instead of a man about to turn thirty in a few months! You _know_ you completely overreacted! Sam was just trying to be helpful and you completely lost it! What if you'd have killed him?"

"I'm sorry for hurting you, but you hear this...I'm not sorry for hitting Sam. Everyone who works for me knows the rules and the number one rule is to never touch you in an inappropriate manner. Holding your arm to escort you somewhere is one thing, but what he did was uncalled for and he knows it. I will not apologize for someone else breaking my rules," he growled, pulling his face closer to mine as I continued to stare at his lips.

"You're a jealous bastard and you scare me sometimes," I hesitantly admitted as his lips brushed across mine.

I submitted to his advances with a moan as his hot tongue licked my bottom lip, demanding entrance to my mouth. Obliging, his tongue slipped between my lips dancing with mine teasingly before he slowly ended the kiss, leaving me breathless.

"Baby, you haven't seen anything yet," he admitted, holding my face back to stare at me intently. "It can get much worse, but I promise I will never hurt you again. If I do, you can shoot me with my gun."

"Don't talk like that," I scowled, pushing him away with my good hand as he now cradled my sore one. "Don't ever talk about getting shot by anyone. If anything ever happened to you..."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me baby...but I do want to show you something," he admitted quietly, pulling me from the vanity.

I followed him into our bedroom as he curiously led me into the giant room that he called a closet. One side held my few belongings and the other side held his. An island sat in the middle of the room, the top scattered with Edward's watches and neckties that he'd been too lazy to return to their homes. He walked to a bare wall and touched a square, decorative piece of molding, pushing it until it flipped up. I gasped in shock as he exposed a small panel of buttons and memorized the code that he tapped in. A popping sound made me jump as the wall slide partly open. Edward grasped the wall and shoved it to the side. Reaching in the room he flipped a switch on the wall and the room lit up in a pale white light. I followed him slowly into the room, my eyes taking in everything that I could.

"What is this?" I asked, my eyes wandering around the small room in amazement. All this time I never knew it even existed.

"This is a safe room...some people call it a panic room, but I prefer the term 'safe room'," he explained, leading me around the room.

It was only large enough for one small cot, a table and four chairs, a pantry full of canned and dried food, and a toilet and sink. There was a metal gun safe nearby and I watched as Edward twisted the knob, memorizing this code as well as he opened the door, showing me the case full of guns and ammunition.

"If something ever happens...anything that should cause you alarm, you come to this room immediately and stay here until I get back. Do you understand, Bella? You come to this room and stay here...you don't go grabbing a gun or anything like that. You. Stay. Here. Got it?" he asked, his voice soft but firm as he carefully watched my face.

I nodded mutely, glancing around the room in wonder, my arm finding its way around his waist as he laid a gentle kiss on the top of my head. We left the room silently, Edward flipping the light off behind us and pulling the door shut. We got ready for bed that night not realizing just how soon that room would be in use.

Edward relaxed, somewhat, the next few days. He actually smiled a time or two, especially when I removed the bandage from my wrist and revealed my only slightly sore, but less swollen injured wrist. The skin beneath the bandage was wrinkly and pale. Edward laughed at my disgusted expression.

Sam and Edward still acted a little squirrely around one another. Sam avoided his stern gaze when Edward entered the room. Sam also kept his distance from me which pissed me off a little, but there was really nothing I could do about it. A least he and Edward were on speaking terms once again, which was a vast improvement.

It was a Tuesday when Edward got the fingerprint results back. He, Emmett and Jasper sat in his office peering down at the printed off results from the police database and I shuddered at the thought of just how many corrupt cops were really out there, my father having been one of them. Jasper gave Alice and I an apologetic smile as he literally slammed the office door in our faces, ignoring us as we banged on the heavy wooden door, screaming out our protests. The telltale smell of tobacco and strawberries drifted out from under the door, and I knew was something bad because Jasper usually only smoked his cigars when he was angry or stressed, preferring to smoke one of those instead of physically revealing his emotions.

"I wonder who it is..." Alice mused as we sat on mine and Edward's bed. She ran a nail polish brush carefully against my big toe, bathing the nail in a wounded, blood-red polish.

"I don't know but maybe when they catch him they'll find out where James is, as well," I replied, watching as she moved to the next nail. "I'm so tired of all this. I'd like to just jump in a car and drive to the grocery store when I want to...not be flanked by a security guard all the time."

She laughed and it sounded like tinkling bells, as she shook her head. "You're funny, you know that? Even when they catch James, Edward's never going to let you wander off on your own. He's very protective of you. You might as well accept that for the rest of your life, at least if you plan on spending it with Edward."

"Hot damn," I moaned, holding my face in my hands. "Are you serious? That's freaking crazy. We're gonna have to talk about all that soon...once James is out of the picture. I don't think I can handle that. I need some freedom, you know what I mean?"

"I know. So, have y'all set a date for the big day?" she asked, finishing my last toenail and sliding the brush back into the bottle. She twisted it shut and grinned at me, wagging her eyebrows up and down. "We need to start planning...it's going to be perfect!" She squealed and began jumping up and down, the mattress staying perfectly in place. Oh, yeah, Edward had the king of all mattresses.

"I honestly have no idea. We haven't even talked about setting a date yet," I mused wondering exactly how soon Edward would want to get married. "I think a spring wedding sounds perfect...roses and daisies...baby's breath...a small, white church. I'd like to get married in the same church my grandparents got married in."

"Oh, Bella," she laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "There will be hundreds of guests. Do you think a small, country church will hold that many people? I'm not trying to sound snobbish, but our family is very well-known and we have many relatives, friends and associates who will expect an invitation to the wedding."

She bounced off the bed still chuckling in amusement as she left the my bedroom to wander upstairs to her own, as she was now sleeping in my old bedroom. I stayed put, worrying with my bottom lip as I let my toenails dry, my thoughts engrossed with visions of grandiose weddings and tripping in front of hundreds, if not thousands of strangers as they watched me expectantly as I married the infamous Edward Cullen. This was not my ideal wedding. As a small child I envisioned myself walking down the aisle of a quiet, white-clapboard country church, my arm intertwined with my father's as he looked down at me proudly. That was the good old days, before I knew what the real world was about, before my mother died, before I met James, before my father became cold, uncaring man.

Edward entered the room sometime during my reverie, his face drawn in concern, his eyes never meeting mine. I watched as he strolled into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind him and starting the shower. I knew at once that whoever's fingerprints were on that fifty dollar bill was someone he knew, his mind absorbed with thoughts of betrayal. He eventually returned to the bedroom, his hair slightly damp, his chest bare and a white towel wrapped around his waist, looking sexy as hell. Edward never saw my hungry eyes as he removed the towel and pulled on his boxers, his eyes cold and bitter as he worked them over his muscled hips and slid beneath the covers next to me.

"Who is it?" I whispered, my quiet voice breaking the silence. He laid on his back, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling in thought.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, baby," he whispered back, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep. "I've got everything taken care of. Everything is gonna be alright..." His voice drifted off and I stared at him for a long time, until his breathing evened out and sleep actually did consume him. I flopped on my side facing away from him, peeved that he didn't tell me who the inside man was. My thoughts eventually blurred away as I too lulled into a deep sleep.

Hours later, gasping, I awoke, the utterly ridiculous thread count of the expensive Egyptian sheets clutched tightly between my fingers. Goosebumps and cold sweat covered my body as I sat up in the bed, my eyes darted around the room. The house was quiet as death. I'd had a nightmare, but I couldn't remember what it was. My heart raced and I took deep, calming breaths, trying to slow it down as my bottom lip trembled. Peering at the gold clock on Edward's nightstand, just past his sleeping head, I read that it was three o'clock in the morning. I laid my head back down on the fluffy, goose down pillow, inwardly chastising myself for being so terrified of a dream that I couldn't even remember. Moonlight spilled in through the window that was partly exposed from the drapes and I stared at the patterns on the wall as the light reflected from a large, fold framed mirror that hung nearby. My eyes became droopy and I fell into that phase between consciousness and unconsciousness when I heard the first shot ring out.

Edward sat up straight in the bed just as I gasped. He removed the loaded gun that he'd started sleeping with beneath his pillow, the quiet click of the safety being removed hitting my ears. He scanned the room with his eyes, the gun clasped unwavering in his hands as he slowly began to shift out of the bed.

"Safe room," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

I crawled out of the bed, stumbling once as I made it to the closet, wrenching open the molding and pressing in the code. The wall popped open and I closed the molding, gazing at my lover one last time, his face never leaving mine as I entered the room in nothing but his shirt and my underwear, grabbing the handle behind the wall and closing the door firmly in front of me. I let out a soft cry as I stumbled blindly to the cot, too terrified to turn on the light in the room, although Edward had assured me that the light could not be seen from the outside world. I wrapped a soft quilt around me as I lay prone in the bed, my body shaking as thoughts of an injured Edward raced through my head.

Eventually I became still, finding that place deep inside me that Jasper had taught me about long ago. It was a switch, that we all have internally. A switch that can flip your emotions any way you need to flip them. Some people go their whole lives not knowing they had this switch deep within them...and the ones who do know about it, usually don't figure out how to use it.

I'm not one of those people. I internally flipped the switch and waited.

I turned on my side, staring at the red digital clock that sat plugged in across the room. The numbers turned slowly as the minutes drifted away, and I made a vow to myself exactly how long I would wait before disobeying Edward's orders. The time was winding down and he had less than ten minutes to show up for me before I left this tiny room and found him. As I waited for the time to wind down, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and from the glow of the clock and I made my way across the room, grabbing a small flashlight that'd I noticed on the table. After turning the flashlight on I began twisting the knob on the gun case, removing a 357 magnum and quickly loading it, impressed with the way the handle felt in my small hand. I locked the gun case back and tiptoed to the wall, pressing the code in and cringing at the popping sound it made as it opened up.

The house was silent. I entered our bedroom and fumbled around until I found a pair of Edward's boxers in the chest of drawers nearby. Sliding them on and rolling them at the waist, I eased over to the window, glancing through the exposed portion of the drapes at the grounds in front of me. All was still and silent, the moonlight bathing the lawn in a soft, white light, the eloquently shaped shrubs and dying flowers covered with a shiny frost that had settled on the lawn sometime during the night.

A blaze of fire flashed just outside the window as another shot rang out and I swear I nearly pissed myself as I jumped from the window, my eyes shooting from it to the bedroom door in terror. "Screw this," I muttered, my heart hammering against my chest as I slipped across the room, my feet sinking in the deep, expensive carpet. Quietly, I opened the door, peeking out into the hallway just as I heard a painful scream and the scuffling sounds of someone struggling.

I knew that scream. That scream belonged to the person I loved more than anything on this earth. I darted out of the room, the internal switch inside me forgotten as I burst into the dining room and gasped at what I saw.

Emmett was wearing nothing but a pair of blue plaid sleep pants, his massive body struggling on top of someone smaller than him. The person had a gun and I screamed as it went off, the bullet whisked by me and striking the wall to my right, spraying pieces of drywall all over me like snow falling from the sky. The gun clattered against the marble floor as Emmett wrenched it from the man, pinning him down beneath him.

Jasper entered the room, shoving all the antique china and crystal from the table to the floor, the sounds of breaking dishes drowning out Emmett and the man's struggle. Jasper ran from the room and returned with Edward who stumbled in, hunched over, one arm draped across Jasper's shoulders as he leaned heavily against him, his other hand pressed above his heart near his shoulder. Jasper practically threw him on thick, dark, dining room table, slinging chairs out of his way in the process. I cried out by what I saw.

Edward was still in his boxers, his chest bare except for the blood. Blood. Thick, red blood covering Edward's chest, streaking across his white skin all the way down across his abdomen and legs. His skin was abnormally pale and his lips tinged slightly blue as he strained his neck and peered up at me from the table.

"Safe room," he growled, before his green eyes fluttered and his head hit the table beneath him, a sick cracking sound reaching my ears. I stumbled across the room, trying to seek my way to my fiancé through the tears that filled my eyes, but I didn't make it very far.

"EDWARD!" I screamed hysterically, my voice cracking at the end as I made my way to where he lay, unmoving.

A pair of firm hands grabbed my shoulders from behind, dragging me across the floor as I fumbled and stumbled away from my family, Jasper's horrified eyes reaching my own as someone pulled me away.

* * *

**A/N****: Review and I'll see y'all next week...maybe (;**


	18. Chapter 18: Ripple of Chaos

Funny how my most critical reviewers happen to be my RL friends...who, by the way, quietly wrote their snarky reviews on their phones while my pale, considerate self hauled them to Tennessee in my car. What nerve! RL Tia and Carmen...traitors.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer still does. If I did, I'd have sexually assaulted Rob on the set of the first movie...and he would have loved it! No copyright infringement intended.

_Previously, in Chapter Seventeen..._

_"EDWARD!" I screamed hysterically, my voice cracking at the end as I made my way to where he lay, unmoving. _

_A pair of firm hands grabbed my shoulders from behind, dragging me across the floor as I fumbled and stumbled away from my family, Jasper's horrified eyes reaching my own as someone pulled me away._

**Chapter Eighteen: Ripple of Chaos**

I struggled against my unknown assailant, stomping my bare feet against the hard, black boots that he wore to no avail as I tried to even out my breathing. The man's hands dug into the bones in my shoulders, painfully so, bringing even more tears to my eyes. Pushing my bare feet against the cold floor, I began shoving the man backwards with my body, catching him off guard. We both stumbled back as he hit the wall behind him, cursing, in a loud, gruff voice I was sure I never heard before. He managed to wrench the gun from my hand and it hit the floor loudly, sliding only about a foot away.

"Quit fighting, you stupid bitch!" he sneered at me, digging his fingers harder into my flesh. "I'm supposed to bring you back unharmed."

My heart churned in terror as his words sunk in. Any confusion over the sudden invasion became crystal clear. James hired these men to abduct me. Adrenaline churned through my veins as the will to survive surged through me.

Suddenly, I went limp in his arms, my weight pulling down on his hands, causing him to lose his grip on my body. Crouching down and turning on one heel, I swung around facing him, balling my hand in a tight fist and punched the man in the groin. Hard. He yelped in pain, doubling over at the waist as I flattened out the fingers in my right hand and jabbed him, full force, straight into his windpipe just as he bent over. The man gasped for air, now unable to breathe as I scooted across the floor on my bottom, still in Edward's boxers, clutching the gun in my hands and aiming it at my assailant. I got my first good look at the man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties with light brown hair and matching eyes. He was a stranger to me, and I would not regret taking his life.

The man straightened up, gasping and holding his throat. I aimed the gun towards his chest and gently squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit him directly between his arms that still clutched his throat, hitting him in the center of his chest. Blood poured from the wound and the man dropped his hands from his throat, staring down at the hole in the front of his gray shirt, bright red blood spilling forth. He began coughing, bloody froth splattering against my body as I cringed. His eyes were wide in shock and darted back mine, his mouth slightly open, frozen and smeared in red as he struggled to breathe. He collapsed to the floor, his body landing sideways, his eyes boring into mine as he lay on the floor, slowly bleeding to death. I stood up, clutching my weapon in my hand, and turned to run to the table to check on Edward. As I turned, I watched as Sam and Ben entered the room, guns in their hands as well as they stared, their eyes narrowed, at the scene before them. The man Emmett had pinned down now lay unmoving and I gasped as I noticed he was the man from the photographs in the club. I took one step towards the dining room where Edward lay, Jasper pressing his wadded-up t-shirt over his wound, when the sound of breaking glass stopped me in my tracks.

Ben, Sam and I turned as three men knocked the glass from the large windows in the living room and entered the house. The men were in black clothing, their faces concealed with dark masks. Weapons drawn, they ran through the living room, one stalking dangerously towards me.

"Bella! Get Alice and get out of here!" Jasper commanded in a stern voice, abandoning Edward and drawing a gun from behind his back. His arms swooped up, hauntingly graceful as he aimed in the direction of the man whose dark eyes bored into mine as he crossed the living room like a lion. I screamed and Jasper fired the gun, striking him dead in his right temple. The man stumbled and fell, unmoving to the floor, his eyes fluttering momentarily before they both closed for eternity.

My eyes drifted once last time to Edward, who continued to lay unmoving on the table, before I darted to the stairs, swiftly avoiding one of the men as he lunged at me. Gunfire sounded behind me as I ran up the steps, the sound of his screams ringing in my ears as my cousin ended his life. Only stumbling once, I made my way to my old bedroom, the room Alice now rested in. New terror consumed me as I realized Alice had not come downstairs once as the gunfire screamed out, and I dreaded entering the room, horrified that Alice may already be dead. Grasping the doorknob, I turned it and burst into the bedroom, flipping on the light switch behind me as I entered. I slammed the door shut, twisting the lock in place before running to the bed and laying the gun quickly on her nightstand.

Alice lay in a blissful slumber, a lilac face mask covering her eyes, the ear buds to her phone pressed tightly into her small ears. I could hear rock music playing as I yanked the pink ear buds from their place, grasping her shoulders and shaking her awake as I yelled her name. She gasped, yanking the mask from her face, her eyes darting around the room in confusion before landing on my panicked face. The covers fell from her chest, revealing the silk lilac negligée that she wore.

"What? What's wrong?" she gasped, glancing around the room once more.

"Call 911! Get an ambulance out here NOW!" I hissed, just as another shot sounded downstairs. Her eyes darted to her bedroom door in panic as she fumbled with the covers. Running to the bedroom closet, I threw open the door and flipped on the light, tossing over one shoulder the first things my hands touched, which happened to be a pair of dark skinny jeans, a deep violet shirt and a pair of running shoes.

Alice fumbled with her cell phone, her twitching fingers pressing the numbers on the screen as she called for help as I slipped my bare feet into a pair of her shoes that were a size too small, pinching my toes painfully together.

"Please, Bella," she whispered, her forehead wrinkled in concern. "Please tell me what's going on."

"No time," I muttered, grabbing the gun from her nightstand. I took the phone from her hand just as an operator answered, in a bored tone, "911 please state the address of your emergency."

Mumbling Edward's address, I quickly added, "Someone is shot and needs an ambulance now!" Alice's eyes grew wide as saucers as the words left my mouth, but she never slowed down as she pulled her clothes on. The operator repeated all the information I gave her correctly back to me, her previously mundane tone now edged with excitement. Ignoring her pleas to stay on the line, I ended the call, tossing Alice the cell just as she finished yanking her jeans on.

"Put your phone in your pocket and let's go. We've got to get out of here. Keep moving. Don't stop...no matter what."

She pressed her lips tightly together and nodded at my authoritative tone, her face turning paler as I pulled her to the bedroom door, twisting the lock as I slowly opened it. We eased into the hallway, our eyes darting back and forth, before we stood frozen, paralyzed by the sight of the man who stood outside the door, leaning casually against the rail that overlooked the lower level. He had a cocky smile on his face, his eyes looking smug, as he shot Alice and I an evil wink.

"Embry?" Alice whispered, her eyes widening in horror before narrowing in betrayal as we watched him spin his gun expertly around a finger, chuckling.

"Little Alice...I was hoping to keep you out of this. Really, you're like a sister to me. I'm truly sorry that you have to be involved," he told her in a smooth voice, his eyes briefly avoiding mine.

"You weren't supposed to be here...you were supposed to be at home. You can thank your new boyfriend for this." He stopped the gun from spinning, drawing in it front of him with his finger on the trigger, pointing it over my shoulder at my friend's tiny forehead.

But he wasn't fast enough. Throwing myself in front of her, I shoved Alice back into the bedroom, the gun drawn in front of me as Embry's eyes wavered from Alice's face to mine. Alice gasped sharply behind me as Embry cautiously stepped forward while I simultaneously stepped backwards into the bedroom.

"You can't hurt me, can you Embry?" I asked, giving him a sugary sweet smile, remembering the spoken words of my previous attacker. The cocky grin melted from his tanned face as his brown eyes turned black with hatred.

"How can you do something like this to me...to Edward? What have we ever done to you?" I seethed, pressing back into the bedroom as he continued to lurk forward.

He burst into laughter, shaking his head in disappointment. "Silly girl," he admonished, tisking as though I were a small child. "Haven't you heard? There's a new king of Memphis. And it's not Edward Cullen. Edward is just a...formality that we have to get rid of."

"What? Who?" I asked, holding my gun steadily in front of you, my mind reeling in confusion. "James? What does he have to offer anyone besides a sick, twisted obsession for me?"

"No, not James, sweetie," he laughed, as the three of us were now all fully in the bedroom, Alice pressed trembling behind me as I guarded her with my life. "James was just icing on the cake...he was willing to help us out, if you will. He gave us an offer we couldn't turn down." His lips twisted into a maniacal grin, exposing his brilliant, white teeth, making him look rather wolfish.

"Who is 'we'? And what offer?" I asked, as we finally stood stalk still, our feet planted apart in a stance of attack.

"Jacob Black and his crew, of course," he laughed, shaking his head yet again. "James did his research...learned about the Black and Cullen families disputes over the past few decades. The man is quite intelligent. He offered a few of his...closest associates to help us get to you and get rid of Edward."

Cold, bitter betrayal washed over me as I heard Alice's sharp intake of breath from behind. Memories of Jacob Black's niceties flashed through my mind and I wanted to argue with Embry and rebuke his claims. But then I remembered Edward telling me once that Jacob was not the person he appeared to be, and I knew that this man was telling me the truth.

"I only have one thing to say to that," I whispered, my vision growing hazy as I stared into nothing for a moment, before my eyes landed on Embry's sparkling, humorous ones.

"What's..." he began, but was never able to finish his sentence as I shot him directly in his chest, the bullet surprising him as he thought I was waiting on his verbal response. In a flash, while he stood in shock as red liquid coursed out of his chest wound, I threw up my right leg, knocking the gun from his nimble fingers before firing one more round at his chest. He collapsed to his knees, peering up at me in shock before giving me one last cocky smile.

"Impressive," he muttered, clutching his chest as his eyes grew still, locked on mine before he fell back to the floor, his legs now twisted at his sides. There was no time to think or react, I simply grabbed the gun from where he'd dropped it, handing it to Alice and practically dragging her through the bedroom door. She moved surprisingly quickly after that. Maybe her mind was numb with shock and she was functioning purely on instincts. Glancing carefully over the railing to the lower level, I could barely see Emmett who was fighting a man equally his own size with his bare hands as Sam and Ben fought two more men in the living room. My heart wrenched as I could not see Edward and Jasper from where I stood. Swallowing deeply, I forced myself to push the worry over my fiance' down deep inside, focusing solely on getting Alice out of the house alive. Jasper told me to get her and run. Jasper had never led me astray, not once in our lives. He knew I would do as I was told.

And I did.

Alice darted behind me down the elegantly curved stairway, her cold hand clutched tightly in my own as I hissed, "Do not look around. We're going straight for the front door. Do not stop!" I heard no response besides her labored breathing as our feet hit the last steps and we shot out across the chaos in the living room, Emmett and Edward's hired men still fighting off the intruders. We made it to the front door unscathed and I cursed the silent alarm pad near the front door, my mind full of questions about Jacob Black and why the hell the police hadn't shown up yet. I threw the door open and we burst down the front steps, the front gate standing solemnly in the distance. We crossed the lawn in record speed just as a dark figured emerged from the shadows near the tall, stone wall, Alice colliding against me as I came to a dead halt.

The figure emerged from the darkness, now bathed in the soft glow of the fat, white, Tennessee moon. It was a woman, tall and lean, her lithe body dressed in a skin-tight, black cat-suit which hugged her like a gloved. Thigh-high, black, leather boots encased her thin legs. Her gate was that of a feline and I watched as her face glowed in the moonlight. The woman was young; probably not even twenty, but from her stance and grace I could tell she was lethal. Long, dark hair spilled down her shoulders, brushing across her chest. She held a long, black whip in one hand, the handle of a sword strapped to her back visible over one shoulder. Slanted, exotic eyes stared back at me, her eyes and skin the color of bronze. She stopped walking several feet away from us and turned her head sideways, watching curiously as I lifted the gun in front of me, a small smile dancing upon her face as she let out a child-like laugh.

"Isabella Swan, I presume?" she asked, breaking the silence with her soft voice. She stood, waiting patiently for me to respond. I couldn't help but bite the corner of my mouth for a moment, completely intimidated by this young, terrifying girl, her voice a mask of innocence that she clearly did not possess.

"You seem to be acquainted with my name," I replied, releasing my lip and cocking my eyebrow with wavering confidence. "Although I am unfamiliar with yours." She giggled, releasing the whip from where she held it rolled up in her hand. It hit the air with a sharp crack as she drew it back.

"People call me many different names," she purred in response, taking a step forward, her boot crunching the stiff, frosted grass below her. "But you can call me Leah. Of what importance does my name hold to you?"

"I'd like to know the name of the person whom I'm about to kill," I said, my voice rising as I continued to hold the gun in front of me, my finger firmly in place over the trigger. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to end this young girl's life, just as she spoke one last time.

"Hmmm...I have heard your name my whole life," she murmured, staring at me with that small, strange smile on her face. "They say you're deadly with a gun...but I wonder, how would you fare without it?"

Before I could open my mouth or even pull the trigger on the gun, Leah's whip cracked again as the long, thin leather snapped out directly in front of me, the end of the whip twisting around the barrell of the gun as she snatched it from my hands. It went off, the shot blasting to my right, narrowly missing my head as she used to whip to fling it across the lawn. I could feel Alice shaking behind me as I first stared in shock, and then glared at the audacity of the girl who simply giggled at my reaction.

"As I said," she smirked, twisting the whip up again at her side. "I've heard all of my life how deadly you are with a gun. How sad that you have no other strengths besides a bow and arrow. Where's that when you need one?" She was right. I was not a physically strong person. But there was one other thing I could do to perfection. I could breakaway.

I could run.

"Are you a pretty good shot?" I whispered to Alice, too quiet for Leah to hear as she held her head sideways once again, straining to listen as she watched my lips move.

"Somewhat," was Alice's breathy response. Gone was the girl I met the night of the grocery store, her body now engrossed with fear of the terrifying girl who stood before us, and horrified by the thoughts of someone she loved being shot inside her brother's home.

"Good enough," I muttered, flinging my body forward unexpectedly as I shot across the lawn towards the young girl. Her eyes widened, momentarily, as she did not expect my advance. Unable to use her whip accurately as I drew near, she dropped the whip and reached for the sword sheathed across her back. Slamming into her body, she gasped for breath, the telltale sound of the blade being removed from where it was encased meeting my ears. We tumbled onto the cold, wet grass, her with her sword drawn out beside her as I shoved the heel of my hand against her tiny, delicate nose. Blood gushed forward, the liquid flowing in the back of her throat as she struggled for air. Clenching my fists together I slammed her repeated in her chest, a strangled moan escaping her lips each time I struck. Her eyes narrowed. Her ballerina-like body moved swiftly and she overcame me, rolling me onto my back as she straddled me, laughing as she held the long, pencil-thin sword to my neck.

"I'm not supposed to kill you," she sang, grinning down at me as her blood spilled onto Edward's shirt that I wore. She pressed the blade firmly against my throat and I held my breath, terrified that one faulty move would end my life.

The sounds of sirens drifted across the yard, and I said a silent prayer as the grin left Leah's face, her eyes darting to the gate just past where we lay. She licked her lips, looking down at me one last time as the sound grew closer.

"We will meet again," she promised me, smiling whistfully as she stood up. That's when Alice finally pulled the trigger, the pop of the gun causing me to flinch as Leah's gaze darted to where my tiny friend stood, clasping the gun with her shaky hands.

"Tell your friend to practice her aim," Leah finished, shooting me a wink. "You know...for next time." And then she was gone, darting across the lawn and through the slightly cracked front gates, just as flashing blue and red lights filled the yard. I took a deep, gasping breath. Using the palms of my hands, I pushed myself into a sitting position, trying to steady my racing heart before I stood up and ran to the gate, shoving it all the way open for the ambulance and police as Alice stood numbly behind. A fire truck, ambulance, police cars and first responders lined up the street and people in various uniforms darted across the lawn.

The image of Edward's bleeding body flashed through my mind, and I had to physically force myself not to rush in behind the medical and police personnel. Running inside hysterically would only hinder them from their jobs, and I wanted their full, profession attention on the man who I loved, who still lay somewhere in that house.

A police officer began taking my statement and I told him everything, from the time that Edward and I awoke to the girl who ran from me across the lawn. I told him about James, who still remained on the FBI's ten most wanted list. And I told him about Jacob Black, how Embry confessed he was in on everything with James. The man nodded grimly, writing every word I told him on a pad of paper as Alice stood by my side, struggling to breathe as she was just finding out that her brother had been shot. I thought I was doing an alright job holding myself, and her, together. Alice was now tucked securely by my side as I spoke to the cop...until that stretcher came down the walkway.

"Edward!" she cried, trying to break free from my grasp. I wanted to run with her...I wanted to check on the man I loved. But I didn't want us to be in the way of the professionals trained to help save him, so I held her as she fought against me, glad that she had dropped the gun after missing her target earlier. She hit and cursed me, but I held her firm as we both watched in horror as they loaded Edward into the back of an ambulance, the serious-faced paramedics talking quietly to one another. An oxygen mask pressed across Edward's face and he was abnormally pale, his eyes remaining closed, hiding his hauntingly beautiful green eyes.

Policemen were everywhere, searching the grounds, taking statements from Jasper, Emmett, Ben and Sam. Our stories all matched, and there was no reason to question that the men who died were killed in self-defense. Apparently, the only assailant who fled the scene alive was Leah. Liam was nowhere to be found, and the thought crossed my mind that he, too, had betrayed Edward and I. Or, if he hadn't, he was kidnapped or lay dead somewhere. I shuddered at the thought, new images of Liam's broken body laying somewhere cold, abandoned and forgotten.

The coroner showed up eventually and the cops informed us that Edward's house was now an official crime scene. The police told us to come to the police station for further questioning. We begged the police to let us go to the hospital first and they stiffly agreed after exchanging serious glances among themselves, stating that they would escort us there. I hated when people of authority did that...like they knew something that you didn't know..._did_ they know something that we didn't know? Where they escorting us there for protection from further attack? Did they think Edward wouldn't survive? Tears flowed from my eyes as the thought as I stood on the cold lawn, my arms wrapped around myself, physically attempting to hold myself together.

"M'am, would you like me to get some clothes for you to wear to the hospital?" one of the detectives asked kindly. He reminded me of my father, Charlie, somewhat, with his dark, curly hair and twitching mustache. I nodded numbly, whispering where he could find my clothes. He gave Jasper and my brother a concerned look as he disappeared into the house.

"Bella, Alice," Jasper began in a gentle, controlled voice as he planted himself in front of us. We continued to cling to one another, Alice no longer fighting me now that her brother was on his way to the hospital. "You listen to me. Edward is gonna make it. The bullet hit him in the shoulder. He lost a lot of blood, but I'm positive he's gonna pull through."

Gazing at my cousin, I saw the sincerity in his eyes. Jasper was never one to give false hope in any situation and I knew, in my heart, that he was telling me the truth. Taking a shaky, relieved breath, I nodded, squeezing Alice in my arms and murmuring comforting words in her ears. The police officer arrived shortly afterwards with my clothes in his hands and Sam escorted me to the garage, not willing to let me back into the house, where he promptly turned his back and let me slide on my clothes. We silently walked back out of the garage to the driveway where my family and Alice stood. Sam's bottom lip was busted and swollen. Jasper looked unscathed and Emmett's right eye was slightly red and began to look a little puffy. Alice removed her phone from her back pocket and I looked at her questioningly.

"Mom and Dad are out-of-town," she explained quietly, dialing a number on the screen. "I'm going to call them and tell them to come home as soon as possible." I nodded as she walked away to obtain some privacy, the question of how Carlisle and Esme, who were Edward's closest neighbors, never hearing the gunshots being silently answered.

Alice ended the call and said nothing as Sam opened the door to Edward's flashy, red, luxury car. We piled in, all quiet, consumed with our memories of the night and worries over Edward. Sam pulled out of the garage, easing the car through the open front gates, passing Ben who stood nearby. I turned my head and watched as Ben manually closed the gates, wondering vaguely if someone had disabled them to gain entrance onto the property. As we rolled silently through Germantown, a silhouette of a man leaning against a street light caught my attention.

His cold, soulless eyes watched us as we drove by, Jasper and Emmett completely unaware of his presence as they stared ahead of them, lost in their own thoughts. My mouth opened, by my voice was frozen in my throat as I watched through the passenger glass as we flashed by him. He shot me a lopsided grin as he took a drag from a cigarette before tossing it casually on the sidewalk beside him, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his cargo camo pants as he backed into the night. Finally finding my voice, I gasped his name and Sam slammed on the brakes, everyone in the car peering out into the night. Jasper flung the door open, much to my horror, removing his gun and disappearing in the darkness behind him. My heart thumped loudly against my chest as Emmett swore loudly, grasping his own door handle and pulling the door open.

"Don't leave us!" I begged, feeling naked without a weapon. Emmett hesitated, just long enough for us to watch Jasper emerge from the shadows of the nearly abandoned southern street. Disappointment etched his face as he slid into the car, pulling the door firmly behind him as he stared into the darkness, his lips drawn in a fine, tight line.

James was gone. For now. But he would be back.

**A/N:** Chappie may be short but I wanted to get it out there because dumm dumm dumm...my laptop is going back to Best Buy tomorrow before the warranty runs out. Someone dropped it. Or sat on it. Or something. With that being said, I hope I will get it fixed in time to update again this week. Please review. Maybe I can sneak away somewhere else and update (;


	19. Chapter 19: Bittersweet

**Borrowing a computer; laptop sent to Okla-friggin-homa! Won't be back for another week! Will try to sneak another update around Monday or Tuesday from my borrowed computer!**

**FYI: a cat-suit is a skin-tight suit, not a cat costume. Leah is not some poorly-portrayed Halle Berry knock-off. Mmmmkaythanks!**

**Fic rec: ****Love Ink**** by ****mustlovertp****. Been reading during my massive amount of free time on my phone. Sexy tattward…need I say more? Rarrr!**

_Previously, in Chapter Eighteen…_

_"Don't leave us!" I begged, feeling naked without a weapon. Emmett hesitated, just long enough for us to watch Jasper emerge from the shadows of the nearly abandoned southern street. Disappointment etched his face as he slid into the car, pulling the door firmly behind him as he stared into the darkness, his lips drawn in a fine, tight line._

_James was gone, for now. But he would be back._

**Chapter Nineteen: Bittersweet**

Hospitals are supposed to be clean and sterile, with shiny floors and helpful staff. The waiting room in the emergency room at the  
MED was anything but. The air smelled of wet, dirty socks, Betadine and body odor. Nurses and ambassadors rushed around with either looks or boredom or pure irritation. A drunken man reeking of cheap whiskey sat directly behind me on one of the cheap, blue plastic chairs, a large gash spilling blood onto the dirty rag he limply held to his head, some of it dripping onto the pale linoleum near his worn sneakers. He nodded off occasionally, either from the alcohol or lack of blood. He wore a pink, plastic wristband, the MED's code for a non-emergent patient. How the hell this man was in an 'emergency' room, bleeding, borderline incoherent and not considered an emergency was beyond me, however, my thoughts did not linger on him, nor the screaming baby across the room whose mother constantly scolded him, or the group of bored nurses lounging around the nursing station. My thoughts were with Edward, who was somewhere in this hospital, undergoing emergency surgery to remove a bullet from his left shoulder and repair the wound said bullet caused. At least, that's what a nurse told us in a rush before darting out of the room.

A flat screen television hung high above the wall across from me, the breaking news coverage of Edward Cullen's home invasion and attempted murder splashed across the screen. My fingernails were chewed down to the quick as I willed my eyes to look away from the screen, only for them to dart back. Alice clung to my side, quietly sobbing, her body as limp as a rag doll. Jasper and Emmett sat on their own plastic chairs, talking softly to one another about the events of the night. Sam and Ben hovered nearby, their eyes scanning the room casually as they talked and sipped stale coffee as though they weren't covertly casing the joint. Liam still had yet to be found and, according to Alice, Carlisle and Esme was on their way home from their brief trip to Gatlinburg where they spent time, occasionally, during the cooler months, in their log cabin nestled in the Smoky Mountains. It wouldn't take long for them to arrive, Alice told me, for they left on a private jet the moment they received word of Edward's attack.

The hands on the clock crawled by as we waited for word on Edward's condition. The clicking sound of expensive high heels drifted towards me and I numbly turned my head to watch as a tearful Rose rushed up beside us, pulling Alice from her chair and giving her a comforting hug. Alice sobbed a bit more loudly as she now clung to Rose, who somehow looked just as elegant and put-together as she always did, although it was now very early in the morning. As soon as she and Alice broke from their embrace, Rose pulled me into her arms, my body deflated as her cool tears smeared across my cheek.

"How is he? Have you heard anything else?" Rose asked, pulling away from me with her hands clasped to my shoulders. I shook my head in response, avoiding her eyes, because the sight of someone else crying always brought me to tears and I was already crying enough. She sighed, wrapping one arm around my waist as helping me back to my chair. She wandered over to where Emmett and Jasper sat, scooting in next to Emmett, looking ridiculous in her expensive clothes on the plastic chair. They talked softly between themselves, glancing occasionally at Alice and me from time to time. Alice laid her head on my shoulder, her breath in small gasps from the extensive amount of sobbing.

Sometime later a tall man with black curly hair and serious chocolate eyes approached our group. He wore kelly-green scrubs, a matching face mask hanging from his ears and tucked beneath his chin. Glancing around, he asked for Edward's immediate family member.

"This is his sister, Alice," I said, standing as Alice hopped to her feet, her face pinched in concern, her eyes tinged red.

"I'm Dr. Jones," he introduced himself, shaking her small hand firmly. "Your brother is in stable condition. Thankfully, the bullet missed any major arteries, but your brother did loose quite a lot of blood…." The doctor began droning on about the possibilities of long term damage, physical therapy, blood transfusions, the list goes on and on. All I heard was 'stable condition'. I collapsed into the chair with relief, shoving my fingers frantically through my limp hair, saying a silent prayer to the man above. The doctor glanced at me curiously from time to time as he spoke to Alice. He mentioned that Edward would be kept in intensive care for a few days for close observation. You could see in the man's eyes that he knew Edward was an important man, as he started to boast about how well he performed the procedure, how he was the best at what he did.

Dr. Jones asked an ambassador to assist us to the intensive care waiting room. The ambassador was short and pudgy, wearing a tacky royal-red vest and matching pants. These people were employed solely to escort visitors and patients throughout the hospital and we followed him to an elevator. The doors closed in front of us with a swishing sound, and I was so lost in my thoughts of Edward that I forgot to be nervous of my childhood fear of the machine.

The ambassador left us with a curt nod in the intensive care waiting room, which was full of serious-faced family members and friends of those in the intensive care units. The only sound in the room was from the televisions mounted on the walls, the volume on low and thankfully showing cartoons and sports networks. I don't think I could handle any more news coverage of the events from earlier in the night. Emmett disappeared into a separate room full of vending machines. How Emmett could think about food at that moment was beyond me. Rose, Alice and I sat in more comfortable chairs compared to the ones in the emergency room, turning the chairs to face one another.

"I can't believe Jacob Black would do such a thing!" Rose quietly sneered, shaking her head in disbelief and disappointment. "The Blacks and Cullen's have been at it for years, but attempted murder? That's a new low even for the Blacks!"

"He seemed so nice," I mumbled, my voice croaking slightly from lack of use the past few hours.

"That's his thing," Alice mumbled. "He always acts nice, but Edward always said he was sneaky and conniving. I guess he had him figured out from the get go."

"And Embry was working for him the entire time? I wonder how much information about Edward and Carlisle was relayed back to Jacob…" Rose mused.

"He probably didn't get too much information on our family. Edward hired him mainly to watch over me and work at the club. He's been to Edward's house with me before, so that explains how he knew the security codes to the front gate and house," Alice explained, tugging at one of her ruffled pin-curls.

"Yeah, but Edward changed the codes, remember? When the guy delivered the package to the club, he had the codes changed. The only thing I can think of is that Liam was involved as well," I whispered, glancing at Sam and Ben who stood nearby. "And now I'm freaking out because, what if Sam and Ben are in on it as well? And how would we know if they were?"

"Mama and Daddy are here," Alice whispered, fresh tears forming in her eyes as she stood up and darted across the room. I glanced up hesitantly; meeting Carlisle's stern blue eyes as his daughter first embraced her mother and then embraced him. This was the first time since I'd laid eyes on Carlisle Cullen, since the Thanksgiving dinner where my cousin held a gun to his head and made him crawl around the floor. He pulled her aside into the room full of vending machines, glancing over his shoulder one last time into my eyes. Jasper stood from his seat, strolling across the room casually, entering the room right behind them. Emmett had returned and was shoving a fudge brownie in his mouth as Rose sat scowling at him. Esme rushed to my side, perching on the chair that Alice previously sat on, clinging to me much in the same way her daughter had.

"What have they said about his condition? Is he going to be okay?" she cried, running her fingers beneath her eyes. Rose explained to her what the doctor said and she sighed in relief, slumping back in her chair, the nervousness still playing across her face with just a twinge of angry-momma bear.

"Jacob Black," she growled, tugging at her caramel curls. "You just wait. He will die a slow, painful death for hurting my baby." She ran her hands across her khaki pants, pressing out invisible lines and wrinkles as she glared into space before patting me on the knee.

The rest of the group returned to the room and Carlisle approached Ben and Sam, his head raised with an air of authority as he spoke quietly to the men for a great length of time. Esme disappeared momentarily to harass a nurse for an update of Edward's condition and when we could all see him. When Carlisle, Ben and Sam finished speaking, Carlisle strolled carefully to where I sat with my elbows propped on my knees, my face resting in my hands. I raised my eyes, moving nothing else as he stood in front of me, no longer concerned with pleasing this man.

"Bella, may I speak with you for a moment?" he murmured, tilting his head in the direction of the vending machine room. Heaving a great inconvenienced sigh, I stood, following him as he strode into the room, his hands pressed deeply in his suit pockets. He gestured for some chairs near the wall and I sat as he joined me, turned to me slightly, an unfamiliar expression on his features. I patiently waited for him to tell me that it was my entire fault that his son had been wounded, possibly causing muscular and nerve damage for the rest of his life. That if I left Edward alone then James would never offer his assistance to Jacob Black. I waited for him to banish me from Edward's life altogether, to go back to Mississippi, to leave Tennessee and never come back.

What I didn't expect were the words that came out of his mouth.

"Thank you, Bella," he said, glancing at me anxiously as I sat in stunned silence, my mouth slightly ajar. "Thank you for risking your life to save my daughter. Jasper told me that you left the safe room. He says you're a stubborn little thing…I commend you for that. I believe in life you should go with your gut instinct, and your gut instinct was to leave that room to help my children. For that I will ever be grateful."

So shocked that there were no words for his comment, I simply nodded my head, letting my gaze fall on my hands there were clasped together in my lap.

"I know you'll never forget the travesty that was Thanksgiving," he continued quietly. "But I hope that someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I've been a foolish man, Bella, too wrapped up in my own selfish pride to see how much you and Edward belong together. I'm so sorry…"

There was a long, bloated paused, as the dignified Carlisle Cullen shifted awkwardly in his seat, waiting for my response. I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to come up with something useful and intelligent to say, but finding nothing. Finally, I whispered, "I forgive you Mr. Cullen, but you're right; I don't forget. I have a lot of self-loathing for what happened tonight, and I appreciate you for not blaming me entirely for what happened to Edward…"

"What happened tonight was not your fault," he told me sternly, the familiar sound of venom entering his voice as he leaned back, his eyes murderous. "Jacob Black and his father have been plotting against our family for years. This James character apparently took advantage of the situation, using our animosity towards one another to take my son out of the picture to get to you. It would have happened, eventually, even if you and Edward never met."

"But we don't have to worry about Jacob Black for long," Carlisle mused, an evil grin gracing his handsome face. "As we speak, Mr. Black is being interrogated by the authorities. As soon as they release him, he will be destroyed…him and his entire empire." I didn't doubt the sincerity in his voice.

We received word hours later that Edward was stable enough for visitors. Only two at a time were allowed in and for only thirty minutes at a time. I sat mentally preparing myself for a long wait, but was pleasantly surprised when Esme asked me, in a soft, motherly voice, if I would like to go in to see him with her first. Glancing at Carlisle and Alice, seeing no argument in their eyes, I nodded shyly, walking hand in hand with Esme as we followed a nurse into the intensive care unit. When we arrived at Edward's unit I gasped at the man that lay in the hospital bed.

His skin was pale except for the scattered bruises that blushed across his exposed arms, neck and face. Dark shadows lay beneath his eyes and tubes ran everywhere, from his nose to his arms. He wore a light blue and white hospital gown, crisp white sheets tucked neatly over his torso and beneath his arms, hiding the bandage that I knew lay somewhere beneath. My eyes filled with tears at the sight of the broken man that I loved, and Esme sniffled beside me, squeezing my hand in comfort and for strength. There were a couple of chairs near the bed and I took one after standing quietly over Edward for a long amount of time, leaving his mother to stand by his side as she softly brushed his copper-locks from his forehead. She whispered sweetly to him, but his eyes never moved. I remember the doctor telling Alice that he would be asleep for a long time, due to the medication they'd given him. He could sleep for eternity if he needed to, as long as he wasn't suffering in pain.

Esme excused herself from the room, shooting me a watery smile as she left me alone with my fiancé. Standing from the chair, I crept to the bed, near his face, reaching out and stroking his cheek with my thumb as fresh tears sprung into my eyes. Grabbing one limp hand, I whispered my love and apologies into his ear, smiling as I saw his eyes move beneath his lids, hoping that somehow he could hear me and know that I was by his side.

The nurse came in a few minutes later, sweetly but sternly reminding me that my time with Edward was up. I gave him one last kiss on his cool forehead, run my fingers through his soft, unruly hair, and quietly exited the room, glancing over my shoulder to see his eyes closed his breath even. With tears in my eyes, I rejoined the others as Alice and Carlisle made their way back to Edward's room for a visit.

Sitting in the waiting room with Sam, Ben, Jasper, Emmett and Rose, I learned more about the events that happened earlier in the night. There were dozens of partial fingerprints on the fifty dollar bill, but two of the partials stood out the most. One was for a man named Tyler Hunter. The last name stood out and after some research they'd found out that he was James Hunter's younger brother. After Edward's contact on the police force showed him Tyler's photo, Edward confirmed that he was indeed the man who delivered the envelope of photos to the club. The other fingerprint that stood out was Embry Call. Edward, Jasper and Emmett came to the conclusion that Embry and Tyler were somehow connected, and informed Sam, Ben and Liam. Jasper and Emmett suspected that Liam warned Embry, deactivated the security system and disappeared sometime during the night. Why would Liam do that…unless he was working for Jacob Black as well. Suddenly, everyone was a suspect, and my body was filled with frustration and agitation, not knowing who was on our side in this crazy ordeal.

After letting Carlisle in on all the information they'd acquired, we left the hospital, begrudgingly, to drive out to the police department, where we answered the same questions over and over. One detective whom I spoke to stared at me in disbelief with every answer, but when his partner left the room he shot me a conspirative wink, murmuring, "We're gonna get those son of a bitches, Ms. Bella. Don't you worry." I nodded mutely, wondering if this stout, balding man worked for Edward on the sly.

As we walked down the steps of the police station, the sun rising and a chill in the air, I froze near the sidewalk at the scene unfolding in front of me. A tall man dressing in a black suit opened the back door of a long, black sedan, moving to the side and standing at attention as Mr. Jacob Black himself slid out of the car. He was dressed to perfection, wearing a black suit himself, with a red tie. His shiny freshly polished shoes gleamed beneath the rays of sun. A reflective pair of shades perched across his nose and, as he approached me he gave me a grim, sympathetic smile. Jasper and Emmett stood on each side of me, Emmett glaring and crossing his arms against his muscled chest as Jasper stood casually, his hands pressed into his jeans.

"Bella, I am so sorry to hear about poor Edward. Is he going to make it?" he asked, reaching out to pat my arm. His hand never made contact as Sam jumped in front of me, his face red, a vein near his temple bulging in frustration. Patiently, I placed my hand on Sam's shoulder, and he begrudgingly moved aside so I could speak Jacob, face to face.

"He's doing quite well, Jake. So nice of you to ask," I told him, giving him a fake, bright smile. The false sympathy melted from his face as we slowly passed him by.

"By the way," I added, tossing the comment over one shoulder, shooting him a bittersweet smile. "I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you. And tell Liam I said 'hi'."

I heard him swear under his breath as we got into Edward's car, Sam huffing at the driver's seat. How Jacob Black hadn't been arrested was beyond me. But if there was one thing that I knew, it was this; revenge is a dish best served cold.

And that was my last thought, for as we rolled down that dirty Memphis street, blocks away from the police station, the tinted glass surrounding us exploded, bullets piercing through Edward's vehicle as I screamed, dropping to the floorboard in horror, staring at my brother and cousin who lay slumped limply beside me.

**Please review ;)**


	20. Chapter 20: I Left My Heart In Tennessee

OMG! Please go to **** and cast your vote for _Breakaway Bella_, like soon (voting closes tomorrow)! Received a message from an admin stating that _Breakaway Bella_ is up for fic of the week at The Lemonade Stand! Thanks sooo much for the rec, **mustlovertp **and to everyone else who has rec'd my story! I'm super excited and so very honored! If you've enjoyed my story, please go and cast your vote before the polls close!

**melferd**: Your review made me LOL ;) If Bella walked to a 7-eleven for a big gulp, she'd be super pissed. Why? Because the closest one to Memphis (according to the internet) is in a town in Kentucky…an eight hour drive. I had to Google it, because I didn't know what a 7-eleven even was. Never been in one and never seen one. Being a Mississippi girl, I think my Bella would rather drive to the 'chicken store' (any local gas station in the south that sells fried chicken) to buy a Slushie, half blue and half red, of course, fried chicken, jo-jo's and, my personal favorite, deep fried corn on the cob *drool*. Then she'd have to borrow my gym membership because the glorious state of Mississippi also happens to be the fattest state in the US…for like six years straight. Hello, heart disease and diabetes! Thanks a lot chicken stores!

_Previously, in Chapter Nineteen…_

_And that was my last thought, for as we rolled down that dirty Memphis street, blocks away from the police station, the tinted glass surrounding us exploded, bullets piercing through Edward's vehicle as I screamed, dropping to the floorboard in horror, staring at my brother and cousin who lay slumped limply beside me._

**Chapter Twenty: I Left My Heart In Tennessee**

"Emmett! Jasper" I screamed, shaking Emmett, who sat next to me, beating him with my fists. The car veered wildly, Sam momentarily losing control, before he straightened it out and gunned down the street, the movement slamming me against the car door, more shattered glass falling from the window beside me.

"We're fine, darlin', just stay down low!" Jasper commanded, and I sighed with relief as Emmett turned his head, his eyes wild. Tiny cuts from the glass peppered his face. Ducking down as far as I could, I covered my head with my arms, my face turned towards Jasper. As the car sped down the street, Jasper sat up slightly, peering through the cracked, webbed-like back glass window before ducking back down quickly. He removed his gun from the back waistband of his jeans.

"Sam, Ben, give me any extra weapons, ammunition that you have in this car!" Jasper demanded, glancing at me suddenly. I heard Ben, who sat in the passenger side of the car, rummaging around in either the console or glove box as Jasper stared deeply into my eyes.

"I need your help, Bella. I need you to flip the switch," he told me sternly, his eyes staring deeply into mine.

"Flip the switch," I repeated, my heart thumping erratically. "Flip the switch. Yeah, I can flip the switch." Taking a deep breath, flying down that busy street, weaving in and out of traffic, I closed my eyes, briefly. Then I flipped my internal switch. I did it for me; I did it for my family. I did it for Edward. Cutting off my emotions, I opened my eyes, nodding my head numbly. If I had a mirror, I imagine my eyes would be glazed over, hallow, cold, and dead. Jasper nodded back in confirmation, his eyes cool and confident. Ben, who leaned across the car, his head ducked low as a new line of bullets hit our vehicle, handed Jasper a gun, which he then handed to me as Ben stared with rounded eyes. Taking the gun from him, I cocked it, the handle cool and comfortable in my small hands.

"Ready?" Jasper asked, a glint of excitement sparkling in his eyes.

"Ready," I whispered, narrowing my eyes in determination.

Jasper ripped off his shirt, wrapping it around his hand, yelling, "Stay down Em!" before punching what was left of the back glass out of the car, the tiny pieces spraying against our bodies. Emmett obliged, not as familiar with firearms as we were, staying down as low as his massive body would allow. Jasper aimed his gun through the open space, a shot blasted, shooting a flash of fire from the barrel.

Glancing back, keeping my head low, I watched as the grey car behind us swerved, Jasper's bullet hitting the front left tire. The driver regained control, the tire flapping wildly against the pavement as he continued to pursue us. A man suddenly emerged from the passenger side window, his own weapon drawn.

Faster than humanly possible, I raised my gun, training it on the man hanging from the window and gently squeezed the trigger. It met its mark; a bullet straight between his eyes. His head jerked back, snapping at a horrific speed, blood and brain matter spraying through the air behind him. The gun fell from his hands as his body hung limply through the window, his long arms dangling so low that the pavement began to peel the skin from his fingers, leaving long, blood streaks down the grey street. The car swerved as Jasper shot through the front glass of the car, and the man hanging from the window slid from the car, his body tumbling to the street below. I watched as he rolled and tumbled before becoming still, his face bloody and beaten, looking like processed meat.

Jasper fired beside me, hitting the front glass of the car facing the driver. The car swerved one last time before smashing into a lone vehicle parked on the side of the. Smoke and fire boiled from beneath the hood, the open window now facing me as I saw the driver frantically trying to open his door, which was wedged between him and the parked car. I shot one last time, the bullet slamming into his right temple, thick, sticky blood splashing against the glass beside him. His body went still, leaning against the car door. Jasper shot again, the bullet hitting the side of the car perfectly, exactly where the gas tank was located. The car exploded, engulfed in flames, sending the few shocked pedestrians who witnessed the scene screaming and running in horror.

"Sam, I need a car, now. Take me somewhere, anywhere where I can easily steal a car," Jasper told my bodyguard, reloading his gun as he raised up, shoving bits of glass from his seat using his shirt. He sat down in the seat, casually, as though nothing just happened, lighting a strawberry flavored cigarillo and shooting me an evil wink. He was remembering the old days, the days when he murdered people with no regrets and felt no remorse. I wondered when it would all set in with him. When would the guilt he always harbored strike at his heart? Certainly not today, that's for sure.

Emmett finally sat up, gulping for air, his breathing labored and his hands trembling slightly. Reaching out, I grasped one of his shaky hands in mine, murmuring comforting words. Emmett nodded mutely, his eyes fixated on nothing. Jasper pulled his shirt back on, after shaking the glass from it, as the car maintained a slower pace, turning onto several different streets as Sam tried to lose anyone else who happened to be following us. Glancing back, the current street we rolled down was void of traffic.

"Hookerhaven!" Emmett suddenly exclaimed, sitting straight up in his seat, a satisfied smirk on his dimpled face. "Sam, take us to Hookerhaven!"

"For the love of God, Em, now's not the time to be thinking about your dick!" I scowled, slumping in my seat, glaring at my stepbrother.

"No, I mean, that's the perfect place to steal a car. Hookerhaven!" Em snapped, rolling his eyes at my insinuation.

Jasper murmured in agreement as Sam crept into a rundown part of the city, the gutters filled with filth and trash, scantily dressed women stumbling up and down the sidewalk in their scuffed high-heels. Some of them called out suggestively as we passed while I glared through the open window at them, the window now void of the glass.

"Stop the car," Jasper told Sam, reaching for the door handle. "Bella, Emmett, when I open this door, get out and follow me."

"Where are we going?" I questioned, peering at the alleyway that Sam pulled up beside. An older model Civic was parked in its depths sandwiched between two buildings practically hidden from the street.

"I'll tell you when we get there," he muttered, pausing before pulling the door handle. "Sam, Ben…take care of our friends, okay?" The two men in front of us nodded, Ben looking back at me with a somber smile, and Sam looking more hesitant, unsure of Jasper's unspoken plans.

"Okay, let's go," Jasper said firmly, casting me a stern look that told me all I needed to know. There would be no argument…there was no need of even trying to disagree. Jasper pulled the handle, sliding easily out of the car as Emmett and I joined him. He tapped the hood of Edward's bullet-riddled car, nodded toward the street as Sam and Ben pulled away, abandoning us in the unfamiliar section of town. Emmett and I followed Jasper silently into the alley, slowly approaching the gold Civic ahead of us. I glanced cautiously over my shoulder, seeing no pedestrians passing by. Jasper motioned for us to stop and Emmett and I huddled next to one of the walls of the brick building beside us, staring at Jasper who approached the driver's side window. The car was rocking slightly, the driver an older white man with a receding hairline and tiny bifocals. The rocking ceased as the man stared up at Jasper, slack-jawed, an older woman's head popping up from his lap, her hair messy and lipstick smeared. The man fumbled around with his zipper as Jasper flashed his FBI badge at the window, his gun tucked in the front waistband of his jeans, motioning for the man to roll down his window.

"Will you two please step out of the car?" he said as the man stared at Jasper's gun. They both stepped out of the car, the woman looking defeated and the man looking nervous as hell, sweat breaking out across his brow. The man began muttering about his wife and kids, pleading with Jasper when he quietly interrupted.

"Sir, I need to borrow your vehicle, please," Jasper told him politely, a friendly smile on his face.

"You need to borrow my vehicle?" the man asked, his brow drawn in confusion. "Why the hell would you need to borrow my vehicle? Am I under arrest? Are you really even a cop? Let me see that badge again, son."

"I'm sorry," Jasper apologized, raising one eyebrow.

"For what?" the man asked, just as Jasper slammed his fist into the man's face, knocking him out cold. He slumped to the ground as the hooker screamed, her hands pressed against her cheeks.

"For that," Jasper told the unconscious man politely, glancing up at the terrified prostitute in her shiny metallic skirt. "You didn't see anything, ma'am. Got it?"

"Ye…yes sir!" she replied, backing towards the opposite end of the alley before turning around and breaking into a run. She stumbled on her heels, disappearing around the bend of the building.

Jasper hooked his arms under the man's arms, dragging him against one of the brick walls as I slid into the backseat of the car. The floorboards and seats were riddled with fast food wrappers, toys and empty cigarette packs. Emmett plopped into the front passenger time just as Jasper got behind the wheel, cranking the car and easing into the street.

"Those men…they didn't look familiar to me at all," I said, staring out of the dirty window, the glass smeared with children's fingerprints. Normally, I'm not an anal person, but sitting in this car made me want to take a bleach bath.

"They didn't look familiar to me either, sugar," Jasper drawled, heading out of town, avoiding potholes and he drove casually down the road, one arm leaning on the door where his window was rolled down. "They're either with Black or James, or both. It doesn't matter who they're with now. The next person they meet is their maker." I hummed in agreement.

Jasper pulled his cell phone from his pocket, scrolling down until he found a number he searched for, pressing the phone to his ear. His eyes gazed calmly at the area around us as I covertly eavesdropped on his short conversation.

"Hey, man, I need a favor," he drawled, a reminiscent smile on his face. "I need a ride and a place to stay for a while…not sure exactly how long, but hopefully just a few weeks, maybe a month or so."

My heart stopped in my chest and then went into overdrive. Where was Jasper taking us? And why were we going to be gone for a month or so? Reaching for my own phone, I realized that it was gone, left somewhere inside Edward's house during the attack from Jacob's hired men. Crap!

Jasper ended the call and glanced at me, a serious expression on his face as he slightly raised one eyebrow, obviously waiting on my inevitable freak out.

So, I gave it to him.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing, Jasper Swan!" I yelled, glancing out the window, calculating a plan to jump from the car if need be. "Where are you taking me? I can't leave here! Edward is here! My friends are in danger! How can you do this to me? How can you take me away against my will!"

"Bella," he sighed, shaking his head with a frown. "This isn't all about you, darlin'. It's about Alice, Rose, Carmen, Tia, Angie. They're not safe with us around. When James finds out that we've disappeared, he will be on the hunt for us and everyone else will be in the clear. Sam and Ben will watch over Edward. Carlisle already has a plan for Jacob Black, James and his posse. We're gonna lay low for a while, let Carlisle's plan go into effect and when everything is safe we'll come back to Memphis. I promise I'll bring you back to Edward."

"Can we call everyone and let them know we're safe?" I asked, panicked, gnawing on the corner of my bottom lip.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. I can't take that chance. Sam and Ben will tell them that we left safe. That's the best I can do. In fact, Emmett, will you hand me your phone please?" Emmett stared at him strangely for a moment before hesitantly handing him his cell phone.

"Thanks man," Jasper told him with a lopsided smile as he tossed the phone through the window. Gasping, I twisted in my seat, quick enough to watch Emmett's phone hit the street below us, bursting into pieces.

"What the crap, man!" Emmett hollered, turning in his seat as well as he watched his phone break into pieces. He shot an accusatory glance at our cousin. "Why did you do that?" Jasper tossed his phone out the window as well as my mouth fell open in shock.

"I can't take a chance that we're not being tracked through our phones. You should know that, Emmett. There's no telling who's has access to our phones. Bella, hand me yours."

"I don't have mine," I grumbled, slumping back in the seats with my arms crossed. Jasper stared at me carefully in the rearview mirror, obviously trying to judge from my expression if I were being truthful. Satisfied, he nodded his head, just as we hit Highway 78.

"Where are we going?" I asked, staring at the long highway that stretched ahead of me.

"We're going home, Bella, home to Mississippi. My contact is meeting up with us to give me a car that's not hot and directions for the place we're staying for a while."

"My home is anywhere Edward is. I can't believe you're taking me away. When Edward wakes up, he's going to be frantic with worry," I mumbled, the image of Edward lying in that hospital bed flashing through my mind. What will he do when he wakes up and finds out about us being shot at? What will happen when he is told that Ben and Sam dropped us off, never to be heard from since? A vision of him pacing the streets and homes of Memphis searching for me reeled through my mind. I could only hope that Jasper's actions don't set him back, health wise. My chest felt heavy with worry and dread, my heart feeling as though it were about to break in sadness.

The ride from Tennessee into Mississippi was a rough one, to say the least. Road work had been going on for the past couple of years and bright orange cones blocked off one of the two lanes we traveled on through Mississippi. The hills rolled around us, the grass still slightly green although we were now well into December. Leaning back in my seat, I closed my eyes, the shaking of the bump road below us somehow lulling me to sleep, until Emmett's deep voice woke me up sometime later.

"Bells! Wake up! We're here. We need to switch rides," Emmett called back to me from the front seat. Opening my blurry eyes, I gazed at him hazily, his handsome face so unusually serious. Nodding silently, I skimmed the unfamiliar area around me as we exited the vehicle.

We were on an old, dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Tall pine trees loomed overhead, their branches looking slightly bare. Jasper stood a few feet away, beside an older model silver Taurus, a tall man by his side. The man nodded his head as Jasper spoke, leaning casually against the car. He appeared to be in his late twenties, with unruly coffee-colored hair, deep brown eyes, and a long, narrow face. He wore a black shirt, that peeped out beneath a red, plaid shirt, ripped jeans and a pair of black boots. The man stared at me as he nodded while Jasper talked, his eyes taking me in from head to toe, as he gazed appraisingly. Surprisingly enough, his stare wasn't uncomfortable at all, just curious. When he caught me staring back he gave me a serene smile.

"So, this is Bella Swan," he said, raising his chin a bit. He continued to assessment of me as he waited for my response, but I said nothing, staring at this stranger evenly as Emmett slung one arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his side. The man frowned at him and then proceeded to ignore the two of us, turning back to Jasper and handing him a set of keys.

"Keep in touch," he told Jasper before walking past us, avoiding our gaze as he slid into our stolen car, cranked it and gunned it down the road, dust billowing out beneath the tires. Swatting the dirty air in front of me, glaring through the dust as his taillights vanished in the distance, I muttered, "Who was that, Jasper?"

Opening the car door I heard him mumble, "Its best you never know." He cranked the car as Emmett and I exchanged glances, following behind. We drove down the dirt road until we hit gravel, then turned and hit pavement. Thirty minutes later we sat in a driveway in the middle of the woods, a small two-story cabin sitting ahead of us. Jasper parked the car behind the cabin and Emmett and I followed him inside, glancing around at our new, temporary home.

It was beautiful and rustic, decorated in red, navy, and hunter green. A massive buck mount hang above the fireplace in the living home, his head turned slightly to stare at us as we entered the room. Wandering upstairs I found a room that was obviously meant to be my own, a pile of neatly folded women's clothes piled on top of the bed, covered with a Native American type comforter. The bathroom was well stocked and I even found feminine hygiene products beneath the sink, my cheeks burning in embarrassment as I imagined the man we met earlier shopping for my tampons and maxi pads. Pulling back the shower curtain, I noticed a familiar bottle perched in one corner of the tub. It was the honeysuckle scent that I used every day, and my eyebrows wrinkled in confusion and then narrowed in suspicion over how this man knew exactly the type of body wash I used for the past several years. Strolling back into the bedroom I pulled out a couple of dresser drawers from the dark wooden dresser, freezing in shock as I stared down at the exact same brand of undergarments that I wore before slamming the drawers shut.

After moving the clothes from the bed into the chest of drawers, I tucked myself into bed, turning on my left side and staring through the glass window. It started to rain, the raindrops splattering against the glass as the sky darkened before me, thunder clapping in the distance, my wind a million miles away, or at least a couple of hundred, as I thought about Edward. Eventually I drifted into a restless sleep, my dreams filled with gunshots, prostitutes and the rugged, nameless man who seemed to know so much about me, his dark eyes staring into my very soul throughout the dream.

The bed upstairs was my best friend as the days drifted into a week, and then two. We never left the cabin, the pantry stocked with enough food to last for months. The urge to do anything besides sleep and obsess over Edward's health had long since passed by. Jasper and Emmett took turns staying up at night, constantly on alert for any sign of Jacob, his men or James. Jasper seemed to be cool as a cucumber, but sometimes, when he thought no one was paying attention, I saw the pain and longing in his eyes, his heart and soul remaining in Tennessee as well as Alice played through his mind.

Emmett wasn't taking things so well. The seclusion drove him crazy, reminding him of being locked up in prison, and he was sick with worry over Rose. One night I emerged from my bedroom after taking a much needed shower, wearing my tank top and sleep shorts, walking down the narrow stairway to find Emmett sitting in front of the unlit fireplace, staring into the darkness within. His eyebrows were pinched with his burdens as I carefully sat down on the couch beside him, hesitantly reaching out to touch his knee. Emmett jumped in surprise as he hadn't heard me enter the room.

"Sorry, Bells. I didn't see you there," he apologized, his voice soft, as he ran his fingers through his dark curls, leaning back against the couch, heaving a huge sigh.

"Thinking about Rose?" I pried, tucking my legs beneath me, awaiting his response.

He nodded but said nothing. Clearing my throat, I whispered, "Em, I saw what you were doing for Rose. You left my laptop open the day Tia, Carmen and I went to Orange Mound. Do you want to talk about it?"

He stared at me in shock before turning his view back to the fireplace. He sat pensively for a moment before finally admitting, "I found all the information that she needs…it's in a file upstairs in my old room at Edward's house, but I wasn't sure whether or not to show it to her, at first. I didn't want to overstep my bounds. Then I made my decision. I see the hurt in Rose's eyes, Bella. Everyone thinks she's just a snooty bitch, but she's just trying to protect her heart. I decided I would show her what I found, then that prick had to show up at the club and ruin everything."

"So you found him…her?" I asked, a small smile of anticipation creeping to my face.

"Yup. I found _her_. I found Rose's daughter," he confirmed, shooting me a worried frown. "The bastards that adopted her, well, they neglected her. She's in the foster care system now. And when this is over I'll fight like hell to get her back to Rosie…right where she belongs."

**A/N**: Awww…Em! What do y'all think? Reviews make me smile (even **tee24's** totally negative reviews, since she's my RL Tia). Thanks **cheech83** for letting me borrow your 'puter. You're pretty cool, even if you are a Yankee ;) Don't forget to vote, homies!

Peace and love,

Jhood


	21. Chapter 21: Bad Decision, Bella!

Thanks a million plus infinity to everyone who voted for_Breakaway Bella_ at The Lemonade Stand! I didn't win (insert sad face) but, hey, there's always next time, right?

The following chapter was written entirely on my iPhone. No, seriously. My laptop has not returned, but, hey, you can't say I'm not dedicated to this story, can you?

**Chapter Twenty-One: Bad Decision, Bella!**

As I crept back to my bedroom that night, after talking for hours with Emmett, all I could think about was little Claire. That was the name given to Rose's daughter, a daughter she never met. She was nine years old, according to the data Emmett collected, meaning that Rose gave birth to her child at the tender age of sixteen. Sadness enveloped me as I attempted to put myself in Rose's place, forced to give away a baby that she obviously wanted to keep. How awful to be pregnant so young, so scared, so helpless and wanting to keep a child that you're forced to give away.

It was starting to get cold at night, the temperature dropping into the twenties. My eyes fell on a cedar chest near the foot of my bed. I'd opened it nosily my first night here, immediately finding a thick patchwork quilt at the top. I'd closed it and thought nothing more of it, but now that the cabin was cooler I needed that quilt at night. Pulling open the top of the chest I heard the old metal hinges creak and pop as I grabbed the soft, fraying antique quilt and pulled it from the chest. The faint smell of cedar wood and mothballs drifted in the air, making me wrinkle my nose. The quilt was of little importance, but what lay beneath it caught my curious attention.

Several un-labeled wine bottles, the glass a deep black, lay tucked between the pile of antique quilts. One of the bottles had a folded piece of tan paper wrapped around it, held in place by what looked like hay bailing twine. Tossing the quilt on my bed, I sat cross-legged in front of the chest and reached cautiously for the bottle with the paper. I held it in my hands, slowly pulling at the roughened twine and smoothing the note out with my fingers. Peering down, I read the hand written note, the scroll swooping and elegant, somehow reminding me sadly of Edward.

_'For when you want to forget everything, remember it all, or make extremely ridiculous decisions.' -G-_

G? Who is G? The handsome, narrow face of the stranger we met the day we left Memphis flashed through my mind, and I knew almost at once that he was G. Turning the bottle over and over in my hands, relishing its cool, smooth surface, I pondered over the stranger that seemed to know me so well.

The guy was certainly smart, but failed to leave me a bottle opener. Scowling, I went in search of something to pop the cork off the bottle. If I walked downstairs one of the boys might be there and question what I was hunting for. I grinned in triumph as I found a metal nail file, holding it in the air as if it were a prized trophy.

After locking my bedroom door, I worked with the cork a while, my tongue sticking out from the corner of my mouth in concentration. It finally popped off and I practically bounced in excitement.

Taking a tiny sip, memories flooded my mind as the familiar taste of muscadine wine hit my tongue. Jasper and I found muscadine vines growing wild in the woods during our childhood explorations. The berries are so purple that they're practically black, the sweet taste reminding me of happiness and warmth.

Gulping more of the homemade wine down, I turned my back to the cedar chest, leaning against it with my legs bent in front of me, G's note playing in my head. Drinking normally makes me happy, giddy even, but in my current predicament, it simply made me contemplative. Edward was constantly on my mind, but now Claire was, as well, and every day spent hiding away in Mississippi meant another day Rose's child spent in foster care.

I may be a tad naive, but I'm no fool. Foster care is not all rainbows and sunshine. I know there's good foster homes with excellent foster parents, but for every good one there's three bad ones, the foster parents simply using the child for a monthly check.

Knowing Edward, as soon as he checked out of the hospital and went home, he'd rip the place apart looking for any information as to where Jasper had taken me. But he'd find nothing. It's been two weeks since we'd left Memphis, and I mused, as I sipped my wine, how long a person with a gunshot wound was kept in the hospital. Shrugging to myself, I guessed it all depended on the severity of the wound and how much damage it caused.

Edward wouldn't take care of himself, I decided with a frown. He'd worry and pace, if he was able, racking his brain trying to figure out where we were and how to find us. And he wouldn't find us, unless I somehow got a hold of a phone...or left him a clue that I was well and alive...

A plan began to formulate in my mind. A Bella plan. A stupid, reckless plan. A plan that would work wonderfully or fail miserably. A plan to let Edward know that I was alive and safe, hopefully easing his troubled mind. The less stress he was under, the better he could heal. Shoving the cork into the top of the bottle and returning it to its hiding place, I slid into my bed under the patchwork quilt, a smug smile on my face. My plan worked itself out in my mind, and as I drifted to sleep I dreamt of thick woods, muscadine wine, and a handsome, rugged stranger whom I was convinced was my guardian angel.

It took me a couple of more days to begin my plan, for I had to covertly sneak canned salmon and a manual can opener to my bedroom in the pockets of my jeans when Jasper and Em weren't paying attention. Canned salmon is freaking disgusting, and just the thought of it made me gag. I shoved a can in each pocket for two days, during cooking duty, hiding them away between the quilts with the muscadine wine.

My hatred with canned salmon began as a small child. My grandmother babysat me quite a bit, so I had many a meal at her house. When Mamaw Swan liked something she tended to stick with it for a while, and for months the smell of fried salmon patties stunk her house up. Eventually, just the smell would cause me to retch, and she, thankfully, stopped cooking them. Throughout the years just the mere mention of salmon made me shudder.

It was a Wednesday morningwhen phase one of plan Bad Decision Bella took effect. Breakfast was a meal I skipped for years, preferring to eat around eleven am because eating in the early morning hours made me nauseous. So, at five in the morning, with a cringe, I opened my first can of salmon, swallowing hard as the smell hit my nose. Taking a deep breath, which I then held, I shoved a huge bite in my mouth using my stolen fork I'd confiscated. I ate the whole can as fast as I could, pausing between bites to gag, before starting on my second can.

Somehow I managed to force down four whole cans of salmon. I shoved the cans into the bottom of my wastebasket after rinsing them out in the bathroom sink, hopefully hiding the smell in case Jasper or Emmett were to enter the room. Wadding up some toilet paper, I covered the cans up in the waist basket, swallowed a handful of water from the bathroom sink tap, and stumbled down the stairs, my stomach queasy and clenching in pain.

Emmett was on night watch duty, sitting in an old, wooden chair near a front window, staring outside as sunrise coated the sky in pink, orange and yellow. He jumped when he heard my footfalls, gazing at me with a worried frown on his face.

"Bells, you don't look so good. To tell you the truth, you look kinda green," Emmett said, frowning as I lurched towards the downstairs bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet when I started to hurl, coughing and gagging as Emmett ran into the room.

"Holy crap! That smells horrible!" Emmett yelled, now gagging himself. My forehead was beaded with a cold sweat and my stomach continued to roll as I vomited again.

Now, you know how much I hate a liar. And I have never lied to Emmett or Jasper, but for plan Bad Decision Bella to take effect I had to lie to my family for the first time ever.

"Em..." I moaned, hanging over the toilet miserably. "I think...I think I'm pregnant."

Emmett stopped gagging and fanning the air to stare down at me in horror as I sat hunched on the floor on all fours, his mouth hanging open. The guilty look I shot him could easily be misinterpreted for something other than lying...like his sister being pregnant.

"Jasper's gonna kill me! You can't tell him, Em! Okay? Can you keep a secret between siblings?" I was laying it on think now. He nodded, bug-eyed and serious. He'd probably keep it a secret for about an hour at best before running to our cousin.

Emmett helped me from the floor and physically picked me up, carrying me up the stairs like a small child. He tucked me into bed, assuring me that he'd be back in to check on me later, telling me to get some rest. I nodded mutely, turning away from him with the comforting quilt wrapped around me. He left the room, pulling the door softly behind him. Listening, I heard him slowly creep towards the room where Jasper slept. Emmett's predictability would be humorous if my abdomen wasn't so sore from vomiting. Rubbing my tender belly and suddenly exhausted from being so sick, I drifted to sleep, only to wake up a couple of hours later to find Jasper staring at me. He sat in the edge of my bed, a critical look on his face.

"Something you need to tell me, Bells?" he asked quietly, his eyes inadvertently drifting to my belly and back to my eyes.

Commence phase two.

"Uhhh...what do you mean?" I asked nervously, using some of the tricks I learned from Uncle Pete. He taught me long ago how to catch a person lying.

As I sat up in the bed I began to fidget, wringing my hands, my eyes darting from my lap to Jasper's face. It was harder to fake nervousness than I thought.

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Think real hard, sugar," he said, gazing at me solemnly, taking in my awkwardness, my anxiety. Now was the time to act mad.

"I just told you I don't know what you're talking about!" I snapped, huffing and crossing my arms across my chest, glaring at him. "Now you get on out of my room and leave me alone!"

Jasper continued to stare me down as I huffed away. He finally let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Bells, are you...pregnant?" he asked, saying the last word softly.

"Oh, Jasper!" I cried dramatically, even managing to squeeze a couple of tears out. "I..I don't know!"

"We need to find out," he sighed, standing and walking to my bedroom door. "If you are you'll need to see a doctor soon to make sure everything's, uh, alright," he mumbled, uneasy with our conversation.

"I guess I need to take a pregnancy test," I moaned, pressing my face into the goose-down pillow before flinging myself into my back, pressing the back of my hand against my forehead as I started at the ceiling.

"You can take on of those at the doctor's office, right?" he said, making my eyes widen momentarily in horror. I masked my emotions quickly, hoping Jasper hadn't seen through my act. He was completely messing up plan Bad Decision Bella!

"No, I don't wanna waste time going to the doctor if it's just a stomach bug or something," I told him, moaning as my belly continued to protest. "Why don't we run to the store and get a pregnancy test?" I suggested, groaning and clutching my abdomen.

"You mean why don't I send Emmett to get you a pregnancy test?" Jasper corrected, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed against his chest, raising an eyebrow. "You're too sick to leave this cabin, according to Em."

"Fine," I grumbled, feeling my plans crumbling around me. "Make sure he gets the one that says 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant'. Don't let him get the one with the plus or negative...I might get confused. Oh! And get the one that you don't have to pee too much on. And make sure it's the kind that tells you immediately if you're pregnant or not. Hey, make sure the box is white, not pink or blue cause I don't wanna jinx the sex of the baby or anything," I continued to ramble, making stuff up as I went, knowing nothing about pregnancy tests at all. He stared at me as I talked, his face looking so confused, bless his heart. He finally interrupted me as I began talking about periods and menstrual flow.

"How about you just go with me after you start to feel a little better?" he suggested, and it took all my energy to hide the mega watt smile that threatened to burst forth.

Heaving what I hoped sounded like a frustrated sigh, I muttered, "Yeah, I guess. Give me a little while to let my stomach settle down." Jasper nodded, pushing himself off the doorframe and strolled down the hallway leaving me laying on my bed, a massive smile on my face.

Phase two complete.

A couple of anxiety-ridden, nauseous hours later, I emerged from the bedroom, my stomach still rolling and twisting in knots. Stupid salmon! Why am I still nauseous? Probably my nerves from the moronic scheme I'd cooked up along with lying to my family. Fumbling down the stairway I was met by not only Jasper but Emmett as well, who gave me a guilty look.

"Sorry, Bells, but you know I had to tell him..." he told me quietly.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, waving him away with the one hand that wasn't clutching my belly. Ignoring me, he wrapped him arm around me, helping me through the doorway and out of the cabin to the Taurus. He opened the front door for me and I slid in the car, staring in horror as he got in the backseat.

"What are you doing, Em?" I asked as Jasper got behind the wheel and turned the engine. The car filled with the scent of a Caribbean breeze, courtesy of the air fresher attached to the air vent. The less people there to ruin my plan, the better, and I truly didn't expect Emmett to show his face after ratting me out, let alone to ride with us to the store.

"You think I'm gonna stay behind? James and Jacob might still be out on the lose. What if they found out what town we're in? You think I'm leaving you and Jasper alone? Puhhhlease!" he scowled as Jasper pulled down the long driveway, out of the woods and onto an old country dirt road. I turned, glaring, in my seat, ignoring him by memorizing which direction Jasper took into town. This information would come in handy for plan A of Bad Decision Bella. Plan B was the scary plan. A plan I hopefully wouldn't need to use.

Jasper didn't want to stop in the nearest town, for fear that somehow we'd be seen close to where we were staying. I said a silent prayer for his reasoning as we rolled into a small town, almost forty-five minutes from our cabin. The car shook over the broken pavement as we pulled into the towns only convenience store. It was one of those dollar-type stores where nothing cost a dollar. Holding out my hand, I begged Jasper for some cash, since all my belongings were still in Memphis. He handed me a couple of twenties that I shoved into the pocket of my jeans as I stepped out of the vehicle and slammed the door. My feet froze in place as I heard my brother and cousin exit the vehicle behind me.

"Y'all don't have to follow me. Just stay in the car. It won't take but a minute," I told them, my heart beating rapidly against my chest.

"Nah, it's cool," Emmett said, passing me to hold open the door like the gentleman he was. "I need some deodorant and stuff anyway."

Jasper stared at me suspiciously, but I shrugged in response, entering the store and cursing them in my mind. Jasper strolled in behind me and I groaned quietly to myself as I saw an end aisle covered with pre-paid phones.

Plan A of Bad Decision Bella officially aborted.

I'd planned on grabbing a pregnancy test and phone, possibly hiding the phone in my coat pocket before leaving the store. But with the ever watchful Jasper and Em in the store, it was impossible.

Commence phase one of plan B. The really, really bad plan. The extremely selfish, possibly deadly plan. The paper-trail plan.

Walking to the feminine product aisle I stared at the shelf holding the pregnancy tests. There was only one kind, the kind that had the negative and positive viewing panel. I grabbed three, just to look thorough, and walked over to the cash register, gazing at Em and Jasper over my shoulder cautiously. Em was on the toy aisle, not very far from the register, holding a red pair of plastic boxing gloves. Jasper stood nearby, gazing at him with a soft smile on his face.

The cashier was an elderly lady, thank God, who scanned my three pregnancy tests with a smile on her face, only after staring at the massive rock on my ring finger. She gave me the price and I pretended to search my pockets in vain.

"Oh, no!" I mumbled, frantically searching every pocket, never pulling my money out. "I musta left my wallet at home!"

"Oh, dear!" she frowned sadly. "Maybe you can leave to get your wallet and come back later?"

"I..I can't" I whispered, nodding my head towards Emmett. "You see the big guy?" We both turned slightly to look at Em, who had shoved his huge hands in the boxing gloves and pretended to box an invisible opponent, a severely serious scowl on his face. Perfect.

"That's my husband...he told me if I keep forgetting stuff he's gonna beat some sense into me!" I whispered, panic clear in my face as my eyes begin to water. Amazingly, I was pretty good at the lying stuff. The old woman stared over my shoulder, her beady green eyes peering through her thick lenses as the color drained from her face. I glanced behind me to see Emmett now shadow boxing violently, his muscles bulging through his tight shirt as he grinned at his invisible opponent menacingly. She looked a little hesitant, so I shoved my sleeves up casually, revealing the numerous bumps and bruises I acquired from being a total klutz. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"Oh, sweetie. He looks like the type," the old woman whispered, nodding knowingly. "What can I do to help you, hon?"

"Well...I know my debit card number...can you type it in? It would help me so much! If I'm pregnant, I'm leaving him. Soon. ," I told the woman, nodding and staring at her intensely. She hesitated, whispering that she wasn't supposed to do what I asked her to do, but after one last look into my sorrowful doe eyes, she turned to the register, quickly typing my card information in.

"Can you enter your pin number, dearie?" she asked, nodding to the card scanner in front of me, a hint of suspicion on her face. I nodded, sighing in relief as I entered my pin number and watching as my transaction was approved. The lady bagged my purchases, patting me sympathetically on the hand just as Emmett and Jasper appeared at my side.

Emmett threw the child's boxing gloves and some deodorant in the counter, leaning forward with a grin, shooting the elderly lady a seductive wink. "Hey, sexy. How you doin'?" he asked, batting his long, dark lashes.

The woman scowled at him, tossing the items carelessly in a bag and barking out his total. Looking thoroughly abashed as his face fell, he dug around in his pocket handing her the correct change with sad, puppy dog eyes.

She shot me a conspiratorial head nod, her curly red bouffant bobbing as we left the store. Managing only a guilty smile in return, I walked outside, following Jasper and Emmett to the car and sliding in. My heart began thundering in anticipation over what I just did. Because plan B of Bad Decision Bella was now in full effect with the paper trail I'd just left and the outcome may be a positive or negative one. I'd possibly put myself, Emmett and Jasper in danger...but it was a chance I had to take. I wasn't willing to spend another day with Edward not knowing whether I was dead or alive. In my heart, I knew that the transaction took place far enough away from the cabin so that no one could find me.

Jasper stopped twice to let me out to vomit on the way back home, the slightly bumpy ride finally getting the best of me. We arrived back at the cabin and I immediately went upstairs to the bathroom, throwing the dollar-store bag carelessly on the back of the toilet. After brushing my teeth and gargling with my minty mouthwash, I felt like a new girl. Just as I started out of the bathroom, Emmett cornered me, standing guard in the doorway.

"Did you take the test yet? What did it say?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. Crap! I forgot all about the stupid pregnancy test.

"I guess I need to drink some water. There's nothing left in me," I laughed nervously, running my fingers trough my hair. Em vanished down the hallway and downstairs, returning almost immediately with a bottled water. He watched me anxiously as I drank it.

"Are you gonna watch me pee too?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Ugh, no way," he shuddered. "I'm not into that kinky shit. But I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you." And with that warning, he was gone.

After drinking the entire bottle of water I ripped open all three pregnancy test packages, shaking my head as I read the instructions. Thirty minutes later I was perched somewhat awkwardly on the toilet, trying to aim my pee towards the little stick. It was super hard to pee on all three, stopping my flow each time I changed tests, but somehow I managed. Knowing Em would be back soon, I washed my hands, unlocking and opening the door, trying to look like a nervous, possibly pregnant woman. Em, of course, stood in the hallway, wringing his hands like an anxious soon-to-be father. Bless him! I felt even guiltier as he stood there while I closed the toilet seat, sitting on top of the lid.

"How long?" he asked, pacing in the hallway. How long what? Oh!

"For the test results? Um, like five minutes I think," I lied, not remembering the instructions. It wasn't as though there was a snowball's chance in hell that I was pregnant. I'd been on birth control to regulate my cycle forever.

"Long enough!" Emmett declared, grabbing the first test by the very end, cringing as he thought of touching something I urinated on. As he analyzed the results I wrapped a long strand of brown hair around my finger, frowning. I froze as I thought of the day, weeks ago that I moved out of my tiny apartment and into Edward's mansion. Cursing, I realized with all the drama with James I'd completely forgotten to take my medicine with me. Bad decision, Bella! How could I be so careless and stupid. Glancing up, my heart stopped from the expression on Emmett's face.

"I'm gonna be an Uncle," he whispered in awe, before breaking into an ear-splitting grin, twisting the pregnancy test around, revealing the bright blue positive sign.

**A/N:**So...what do y'all think? *Hiding in the corner* How about Edward's POV for the next chapter? Lemme know peeps ;)


	22. Chapter 22: Bella's Best Beezies

Checkout **Bird Girl** by**TheQueenWriter**. It's up for fic of the week at tehlemonadestand dot net. It's freaking awesome and you should check it out and go vote for it! Her Bella's nonchalant attitude over movie star Edward is hilarious!

Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight; no copyright infringement intended. This past week has sucked. Let's get lost in the dirty south, ladies ;)

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Bella's Best Beezies**

**EPOV**

I swam in a confusing, vast darkness, the only bright spots were the dreams. My dreams were clouded with visions of her, as always. Laughing and smiling, her deep chocolate eyes twinkling. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and from the moment I saw her some primal instinct deep within told me she was mine. Mine. Blood soaked and terrified, standing in front of a run-down grocery store at two o'clock in the morning, stood my Bella, my future, my life, my everything. When our eyes met it was as if something simply clicked, but when I took that first step towards her, she ran. And I followed her, for I knew I couldn't let her get away.

Searching the dirty streets of Memphis, I couldn't find her. I went into a rage, cursing and screaming, taking my aggression out on a fucking piece of shit parked car on the side of the road. I may be a loose cannon, but I'm not always the cold hearted bastard people think I am. Memorizing the tag number on that pathetic car, I made sure to send the owner enough money to pay for the value of his vehicle, ten fold.

I never thought much about God before meeting Bella, but as much shit as we've been through, I realize that in some way the big guy upstairs must be on our side. What is the likelihood that I was scouring the market to re-vamp a bar, a bar that she happened to work in, in a city with a population well over six million? Slim, that's what.

The dream changed. Now she lays beside me, her face crumbling in pain as I wrongly proposition her to become something she could never be. What a fool I was. Thinking I'd lost her forever, I left her crappy apartment, but didn't go far. I sat on the front steps for hours, willing myself to become a stronger man, a man not terrified to fail his father and the empire he'd created. Eventually, I left, but not before a solemn-faced Angela, her friend and neighbor, paused on those front steps before entering the apartment complex.

"I've heard very bad things about you, Mr. Cullen," she'd said as she stood by me, her thin, delicate, dark hand lightly touching my shoulder. "But I've heard good things as well. You donate to charities and help impoverished citizens in this community. Just do me a favor...if this...thing between you and Bella continues, please do right by her. She's such a good person and she needs some happiness in her life. Don't screw it up." And with a sad, soft smile, she was gone, disappearing into the building leaving me on those cold, lonely steps pondering how I could be the man that Bella deserved.

The last dream was terrifying. I awoke to the sound of a gunshot. Bella sat up in the bed at my side, clutching the bed sheets. I demanded that she go into my safe room. Her sad, horror-stricken face, was the last thing I saw before creeping out into the night. The shot, clearly used only to draw me out of the house, was fired by non other than Embry Call, who darted away after I fell to the ground, just as Jasper ran onto the lawn and pulled me inside. I saw Bella's face once more after that, but the vision was muddled by pain and voices...soft feminine voices. The pain was so intense I gritted my teeth, willing it away as I struggled to see her face once more. She was gone. Not only in my head, but by my side as well. I couldn't feel her anymore, and that thought was so much more burning and biting, than the pain I felt near my right shoulder...near my heart. My heart. Bella is my heart.

"Call the nurse! I think he needs sedated again," my sister's voice rang out, sounding frantic and far away.

Sedated? What the fuck! I struggled to open my eyes and did so, just barely, but enough to see my mother's petite, blurry form leaning over me, her expression devastated in worry.

"I can't feel her," I croaked, my voice weak and broken from lack of use. Willing my eyes to open all the way through the haze. They darted around the room, roaming through the small crowd gathered there who stared down at me, solemnly, morosely. Rose stood by Alice's side, shooting her a guarded, hesitant glance. Something was wrong. Something that had nothing to do with me laying in this strange, unfamiliar room, surrounded by these people.

"He's delusional!" Rose hissed to Alice, who shook her head knowingly.

"No, he's not," she replied. "He's dreaming about Bella." Rose's face fell as I stared at her. After pursing her lips, she turned around completely, her back now facing me, avoiding my probing gaze to peer out a large window in the strange room.  
My father appeared at the foot of my bed, his normally cool expression now pinched in worry. He tried to hide it, but failed miserably. I glanced down at my body, grimacing at the sight of a sling on my left arm and IV tubing ending in the crook of my right arm, which was bruised and sore. A white sheet covered me up to my neck, and a thin, mint green cotton blanket lay tucked over my waist. Glancing around the room, I took in my surroundings and realized I was in a hospital. The dream flashed through my mind and I sucked in a deep, panicked breath. That night was real. It wasn't a dream. I'd been shot...and Bella was not in this room.

"Where is she? Where's Bella?" I hissed, reaching out to clutch the hard, plastic bed rail with my right hand. My grip was so hard the veins running below my pale skin bulged out on the back of my hand.

Everyone silently exchanged worried glances, except for Rose who continued to stare out the window. My mother patted my hand tenderly, covering her free hand over her mouth to muffle her sob. Her eyes filled with tears and she quietly dashed from the room, leaving to door open in her wake. Just outside the door, I spied Sam, who shot me a bitter smile before softly closing the door.

"Son, you need to calm down before I explain everything that's happened since you were shot," my father said, walking around the bed and pulling a chair near where I lay. He sat down, crossing one leg at the ankle over the other, the cuff of his dress pants hiked up slightly. He clasped his hands together, staring at me in seriousness. Alice and Rose quietly left the room, tears in both of their eyes.

Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths, trying in vain to calm myself enough to speak to my father. The Thanksgiving disaster still played fresh in my mind, but I somehow shoved it aside, knowing my anger didn't need to get in the way of whatever my father needed tell me about Bella. He cleared his throat and I opened my eyes, staring at him, silently waiting on him to speak.

"Edward, apparently Liam has been leaking information to Jacob Black. When you changed the gate code he obviously sent word to Jacob and told him what the new code was. Embry wasn't just working for James Hunter, but Jacob Black as well. Embry told Bella and Alice, right before Bella killed him, that James approached Jacob with a proposition...a proposition to team up, murder you and kidnap Bella. After the doctor announced that you were stable, Bella, Jasper, Emmett, Ben and Sam left the hospital to give their official statement to the police," he said, sighing softly. "When they left the police station, Jacob Black pulled up and he and Bella exchanged words. "

My eyes narrowed at the mention of Jacob Black and then widened as he mentioned Bella killing Embry. I knew Jacob Black would try to take me out one day, but to team up with the man who kidnapped and raped Bella, well that was a new low even for that slimy bastard. And Embry...he could rot in hell for all I cared.

"What happened next?" I asked, staring into my father's eyes.

Sighing heavily, he said, "According to Sam and Ben, Bella told Mr. Black to tell Liam 'hi'. She'd figured out on her own that he'd doubled crossed you when he was nowhere to be found during the attack at your house. When Bella and the others left the police station they were followed...and shot at. Sam and Ben said that Jasper and Bella returned fire, then shot and killed the men in that very same car. After that, Jasper had Sam drop them off in Hookerhaven...and they haven't been seen or heard from since," he finished.

"Sam left her in Hookerhaven?" I fumed, my face suddenly scalding hot. "Sam is her bodyguard. I hired him to protect her. How in the hell could he leave her in Hookerhaven?!"

"Edward...would you go against an armed Jasper?" my father asked, raising one elegant eyebrow.

He had a point. Jasper Swan and Jacob Black were completely different from one another, yet very much alike in so many ways. They each came across as handsome and charming, with their easy smiles and friendly dispositions, hiding the monster that lurked deep within. The difference between them was that Jasper cared a great deal for Bella, where as Jacob used her past demons to get to me. It was no secret that Jasper freaked me the fuck out from the first time I met him, however, I knew he had Bella's best interest at heart and would protect her until the day he died.

"How long have I been in the hospital?" I asked, ignoring his question about Jasper. My father began to look uncomfortable, as he shifted in his chair, uncrossed his legs and stood. Placing his hand near the nurse call button, I gave him a probing gaze, my heart picking up speed.

"A week, son. You've been sedated for a week," he told me quietly as I began to fume.

"A WEEK? You're telling me that Bella has been missing for a week and y'all kept me unconscious the whole time?" I screamed, trying to move my injured arm over to the right in an attempt to yank out the IV. A throbbing pain shot through me, but I ignored it, biting the insides of my cheeks until I tasted warm blood.

"You've been having nightmares and screaming out in pain. We have to keep you sedated for your own good," he said, and I began laughing manically as I watched my father hit the nurse call button.

"You think some nurse can keep me from getting out of this fucking hospital?" I asked, trying in vain to leave the confines of my bed. My father practically giggled, the sound so odd coming from him that it caused me to pause, just as the door burst open.

"You rang?" a male voice laughed, a man as big as a grizzly bear lumbering into the room. He was easily the size of Emmett with light brown hair, green eyes and a full-grown beard. The royal blue scrubs her wore were a size too small, exposing his bulging muscles. He took in my haphazard appearance and shook his head knowingly.

"Mr. Cullen said you'd be a handful," he laughed, grinning as he practically shoved my dangling legs back into the bed. The action jarred my shoulder, and I howled out in pain.

"Aw, my bad, man," he said, shrugging as he checked the placement of my IV. "I guess maybe next time you'll think twice about trying to get out of bed without permission."

"I don't need your fucking permission," I seethed as I tried to kick him. He jumped away easily, as my father sat down in his chair, chuckling and shaking his head knowingly.

"Let me out of here or I'll slit your fucking throat!" I hollered, kicking at him again. He whipped a syringe out of his pocket, waving it around in the air tauntingly. Thinking he was about to stab me with it, I braced myself, ready for the attack, but instead he removed the cap, grabbed the IV tubing and shoved the needle into a port. I screamed in protest as I felt the burn hit my vein, the large man's face grinning down at me wickedly just before I passed out.

I awoke sometime later, the room now shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from a television mounted against the wall and a slim, overhead light above a small sink to my left. As my eyes adjusted to the dark room, my mind groggy from the drugs, I eyed my sister who sat near the window, peering at the city far below. Her normally perfect, inky black hair was unkempt and she wore sneakers and a pink track suit, very un-Alice like without her designer clothes. She looked tiny in the reclining chair, her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on her knees. Hearing me shift in the bed, she turned her head, giving me a small smile.

"Where's that nurse?" I groaned, feeling loopy from the meds. "I'll kill him if it's the last thing that I do."

She laughed, a true Alice laugh. The sound tinkled and reverberated against the walls of the solemn hospital room as she shook her head and smiled. "He's off duty now, but you should see the one they've got working tonight. He's much bigger and not quite as gentle."

Cringing at her words, I sighed, rubbing my face with my good arm. My jaw line was slightly rough, needing a good shave. My shoulder wasn't as sore as the last time I woke up, and I vaguely wondered if they continued to pump me full of pain meds, without my consent.

"Where's our parents?" I asked, laying my head back on the pillow.

"I told them to go home and get some rest," she replied, giving me a soft smile. "Mama hovered over you the entire time you've been unconscious. It's getting pretty annoying."

"Has there been any word from Bella, Jasper or Emmett?" I asked, watching the smile melt from her face as she frowned.

"No," she whispered, turning back to the window. "None whatsoever."

Alice told me about that night, her voice quiet and serious as she described how Bella saved her life. My brow wrinkled in thought as she described the girl named Leah, a name unfamiliar to me. I decided she was one of James's associates, as I knew most of the names of the people who worked for the Black family. She told me how much she missed Jasper, but how she knew he did the right thing by hiding Bella away. That infuriated me, but I said nothing, clenching my jaw angrily, guiltily, as I thought about how I'd failed to protect her. My inside man failed, as well, by not warning me of Jacob and James's plot to murder me and kidnap Bella, unless he'd double crossed me as Liam had, making me believe he was on my side when he was on Jacob's all along. Yes, I'd be paying Quil a visit very soon.

Alice explained that our father took over my businesses in my absence, and I was grateful, but it still didn't take away from the wrath I felt from the way he acted at Thanksgiving. Alice went on to tell me how our father apologized to Bella before she left, giving us his blessings and begging her for forgiveness. Now, that surprised me, because Carlisle Cullen, like myself, is not one to apologize for his actions unless he was so consumed with guilt that he couldn't live another day without correcting his wrong doings.

I interrupted her ramblings about the club, saying in a stern voice, "Alice...I've got to get the hell out of here. Bella's out there somewhere. What if she's hurt...or worse?" The question hung in the air as we stared at one another.

"Edward...I know exactly how you feel," she whispered, her green eyes tearing up. "But the doctor gave strict orders. You're not to leave for a few more days. I don't think you know how lucky you are that the bullet didn't hit a bone or sever an artery or worse! That wound will take time to heal and that sling...you'll need to wear it for three months! Plus there's the physical therapy. You're left handed so it'll take some time to adjust to using your right arm."

"Time?" I said, laughing bitterly. "I don't have time for that shit. I need to find Bella right fucking now!" My voice grew hard as I spoke, glaring at my sister. She looked unfazed as she glared right back, narrowing her eyes in return.

"Just a few more days, brother," she said. "That's all I ask. If you don't do it for you, for me, for Mama, or Daddy, do it for her. Do you think she'd be happy knowing you're disobeying doctors orders, running around searching for her? Bella's a smart girl, and if I know her like I think I do, she'll send you a sign...something to let you know she's alright."

After pondering her words, I nodded pensively, but with no intentions of taking it easy. As soon as I got up out of this bitch I'd hunt every fucking man or woman down that had any part of that painful night and kill them with my one good arm.

So I stayed in that damn bed for a few more days, glaring at every doctor, nurse and well-wisher that stopped by. The only ones who escaped my wrath were my family, bodyguards and closest friends. Then, one day as I lay in the shitty hospital bed surrounded by fucking flowers and balloons, Bella's friends, Tia and Carmen showed up. I was alone in the room contemplating torture and murder when Sam let them in, closing the door quickly behind them. I shot straight up, my mouth open to ask if either of them heard from Bella, but the words weren't even out of my mouth when Tia walked right up to my bed and poked me with her short finger, right where my gunshot wound was located.

"Shit!" I yelped, grimacing in pain as I glowered at the petite girl. "What the fuck was that for?"

"That was for beating on Sam, you big-headed bastard!" she hollered, punching the area again, causing me to yelp.

"And that's for being a prick!" she screeched, hitting me once more. Carmen stood behind her, her eyes darting around nervously as she twisted her mouth from side to side. Then Tia punched me again, the wound now throbbing in pain.

"What was that for?" I yelled, holding my good arm out to protect any further attacks from the angry girl.

"That was because I just rode thirty minutes with this crackhead in the pouring rain to get here. Look at my hair! It's all fucked up now because of you!" she screamed, her dark face turning red as she fumed, pointing her thumb at Carmen who jittered behind her.

"Damnit, woman! That shit hurt!" I groaned, clutching the bed rail in pain. I thought about hitting the nurse call button, but felt like a giant pussy for wanting to.

"Doesn't feel good to get hit while you're down, does it? You freaking gimp," she snarled, as her petite brunette friend pretended to throw her arm up in front of her, in a feeble attempt to keep Tia off me.

"Now, what's your plan to get Bella back, because we want in on that shit!" Tia hissed, her mocha eyes glaring down at me. "And don't even think about lying to me, you crazy rat bastard. I know how your mind works by now. "

My eyebrows rose in surprise. She was right; I did have a plan. But it didn't involve any innocent bystanders. Especially not Bella's closest friends.

"You can't get involved," I told her quietly, firmly. "If something happens to y'all, Bella will kill me with her bare hands."

"And we'd let her," Carmen finally piped up, her left eye twitching, her hands vibrating. Bella swore her friend didn't really do drugs, that they simply teased her about having an opiate addiction, but her overall demeanor hinted otherwise.

"Let us in on the plan or _I_ will kill you with _my_ bare hands," Tia fumed, shoving Carmen's arm aside. "I'm from the Mississippi delta, bitch. I'm tough. I can walk barefoot on hot asphalt and not flinch. Do you know how it felt growing up allergic to grass and trees and shit? I sat in an empty classroom and watched all the other kids playing on the playground at recess through a glass window. You know who kept me company? My imaginary friends Roscoe and Boscoe, that's who. I'm still bitter over that shit. Let me kill somebody. _ Please_ let me kill somebody!"

This girl was all kinda fucked up, but during her ramblings my mind worked her and Carmen into my plans. She was right...I could use them. And she was definitely tough...it was the Yankee if have to keep a close watch over. As she began gabbing about her arthritic hip, I interrupted her.

"Okay," I sighed, my hand disappearing in my slightly greasy hair and tugging at it uneasily. She paused, my mouth forming a hard line as she looked down at me quizzically.

"Here's the plan," I whispered, leaning forward. The two girls stood by silently, listening intently as I slowly and carefully explained how they each could help. They exchanged glances, nodding their heads firmly and quickly agreed with everything I set out to do.

The plan was set into motion as soon as I was released from the confines of the hospital. It was easy enough to track down most of the players in Jacob Black's wicked game. My father had Jason Jenks, the greasy bastard who showed up with Bella's files on Thanksgiving night, get me all the information I needed. Jenks was a private investigator my father used from time to time, and his uncanny ability to find information on anyone worked perfectly in my favor. We pulled up at local cemetery in an unmarked car, Sam and Ben up front, Carmen, Tia and I in the back. Carmen was dressed to the nines in a tight, short dress, dark shades and her normally straight hair curled at the ends. She and Tia were playing the roles of a honeypot, and as I handed Carmen a bouquet of blood red roses, I stressed the importance of keeping her shades on, hiding her possibly nervous eyes. She nodded solemnly, having taken a small, white tablet on the drive there. Whatever it was obviously relaxed her, because there was no shaking, no twitching whatsoever.

My plan started with Quil. Every Sunday Quil drove out to the cemetery to drop flowers off at his mother's grave. What a sweet fucker he was. My father was parked several spaces ahead of me, in an old tan sedan, the windows slightly tinted. In the car with him sat Marcus and Alec, just two of many crazy Italians that worked for my father for the past few years. They were the most ruthless sons of bitches you'd ever meet.

Carmen slid out of the car and disappeared over a hill, just where I'd directed her, easing her way through the headstones and angelic monuments. Carmen's goal was simple; pretend that she was visiting a grave and became so distraught in grief that she was unable to make it back to her vehicle. We sat quietly, nervously waiting for her return for many minutes until, finally, I saw her pale figure top the hill in return, Quil by her side. She was sobbing, stumbling and leaning heavily on him as he escorted her to the tan sedan ahead of us. My attention was called away from her though as I heard Tia gasp beside me.

"That son of a...that's the guy Carmen's been dating!" Tia hissed, glaring through the dark window, pointing at Quil. "He said his name was Michael!"

Hmmm, that explained a lot. Quil obviously dated Carmen to find out all about Bella's whereabouts and daily activities, possibly milking her for information on me as well. I clutched the leather seat beneath me with my good hand, scowling, wanting nothing more than to dart out of that car and snap Quil's head off.

But that wasn't part of the plan.

Carmen used her tears, which were probably real, and false mourning to draw Quil close to Carlisle's car. When they were within four feet of it, the back door flew open and Alec jumped out, wrestling Quil quickly to the ground and stabbing him in the neck with a low dose of horse tranquilizer. As he began to fade away Carmen kicked him with her black, shiny shoes, one of the heels sinking into the slightly wet ground and lodging there. That didn't deter her, and Tia and I laughed loudly as she removed her pantyhose and shoved them in Quil's mouth as he nimbly protested before passing out. Alec and Marcus tossed him in the trunk and Carmen returned to our car, scowling, with one shoe on and the other in her hand, her mascara smeared down her angry, red cheeks.

We took Quil back to my father's place where we tied him up in a chair in the basement, torturing him for information on Bella, James and Jacob for hours once he finally awoke. He screamed and withered in pain as my father gleefully branded one side of his face with a hot poker, the flesh curling up and exposing the subcutaneous tissue beneath, the smell of burnt skin hanging in the air.

It took nailing his hands to the chair, which I did with a great amount of difficulty since I had one good arm, to finally get him talking. He admitted everything from following Bella and I, reporting back to Jacob to using Carmen for information on us as well. He sang like a bird, giving us names and information on everyone involved, including the fuckers who tried to kidnap Bella in that dark alley the night I first met her. Apparently they were former prison buddies of James who owed him a favor.

The only thing he didn't know was where James, Leah, Bella or the guys were. I saw the truth in his tortured eyes, just before I nodded solemnly, wished him luck in the afterlife, and slit his throat with my father's hunting knife. His brown eyes widened in terror before fluttering shut. Blood gushed from his neck wound and poured out over his dark suit, dripping to the floor and running down the drain Carlisle had installed just for said occasions. Alec and Marcus came to discreetly dispose of the body, wrapping it in a thick, black tarp. He'd be floating in the Mississippi before dawn.

Tia and Carmen sat in the corner and watched the entire performance, unwavering.

"Next," Tia said in a bored tone, blowing on her fingernails that she'd polished with some black, glittery shit during Quil's torture, causing my distinguished father to howl in laughter. After that he immediately clicked with Bella's friends and their nonchalant attitude with killing people to find their beloved friend.

Tia and Carmen continued to work as my honeypots, taking turns luring unsuspecting members of Jacob's team to me. Jacob evaded me during my entire murderous scheme as we continued to wipe out each of his men. Word on the street was that he was terrified, pleasing me a great deal. The police basically looked the other way, more worried about losing their funds that our family provided year after year than to concern themselves over the disappearance of bunch of low-life thug wannabes. Plus, it helped that I had a stack of colorful photographs of the great police chief in several compromising positions with a sixteen year old prostitute named Lola.

I caught wind a few days later that Jacob was planning on fleeing the country, perhaps to Mexico. The police warned him not to leave town, but they claimed to have no solid evidence linking our home invasion directly to Jacob, so no charges had been filed, leaving Jacob free to do whatever he pleased.

Jacob had two close associates left, Paul and Jared, twin brothers who were also Jacob's distant cousins. Besides those two and his father, Billy, who suffered a recent stroke and currently sat wasting away in an expensive privately-owned nursing home, Jacob's entire family was gone, killed by me, my father, and our men...with the help of our honeypots, of course.

Sam, Ben and I sat parked in the thick woods, just off the road, near the swanky home of Jacob Black in  
Collierville, a suburb of Memphis where mainly upper middle-class residents resided. He had a nice home, I supposed. It was nothing compared to mine, but considering his home hadn't been the victim of a recent crime scene, I'd say he had the upper hand when it came down to dwellings. We'd been in the car for hours when Ben spotted Jacob's white SUV pulling out of his gated property.

"I just want you to know that killing evil men is one thing, but innocent animals is another," Carmen muttered, guiltily beside me, shoving loose tendrils of hair under her black, cotton toboggan. "I'm gonna go to hell now, I just know it!"

"I, on the other hand, think all animals should die," Tia scowled, staring out into the darkness. "Animals and bugs. They should all die."

I'd tortured every code in Jacob's house out of his men, but I quickly learned he kept a yard full of trained pit bulls. The dogs were a minor fluke and were easily disposable. Earlier that night, the girls took turns throwing ground meat, poisoned with antifreeze over the large, beige, stone wall surrounding Jacob's property as us men stood guard nearby, guns drawn in case we were spotted. It didn't take long for the antifreeze to take effect, killing the dogs within a few hours.

"Those weren't innocent animals. Those pits were trained killers, and I can assure you they're better off dead than with Jacob Black. He's known to throw them into dog fights occasionally, and they fight to the death, ripping each other apart."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Carmen pouted, glaring through the window at Jacob's property. Her forehead was wrinkled in guilty lines and Tia rolled her eyes at her friend's remorse.

"Are we ready to go in?" I asked the Sam and Ben, who nodded solemnly at me. We got out of the car, the sly wink Sam shot Tia before we left did not escape my notice. The sight of her shy smile in return nearly knocked me over, the expression strange on her typically scowling face. The girls stayed behind in the vehicle hidden in the woods. They would text us once they spotted Jacob's vehicle returning home. We crept onto Jacob's property, entering the gate code and creeping in the shadows of the lawn. Dead dogs with bloated bellies lay nearby, their tongues hanging out, foam around the mouth. We all dragged them behind the shrubs lining the stone fence. Slinking along the lawn, we arrived at the back of the house where Jacob's small swimming pool lay covered, protected from the chill of an impending winter.

I deactivated the security system using the code I'd tortured from one of Jacob's men. We quietly spread out, Ben and Sam near the front of the house as I sat silently at Jacob's kitchenette, near a large window overlooking the dark lawn. My phone sat on the table in front of me and I stared at it for what seemed like hours, my mind lost in thoughts of Bella. Where was she? Had James tracked her down? Kidnapped her? Or was she somewhere safe with Jasper and Emmett, tucked away protectively under their watchful gaze? My phone lit up, alerting me that Jacob's vehicle lumbered down the street towards his home. Jacob was a scared little shit, and dumb as a brick bat. He'd taken his two last men with him for his monthly poker game, for fear that we'd attack him the same way we attacked his men. That wasn't good enough for me. He sent men into my home, terrorizing my soon-to-be wife and trying to fatally end my life. Jacob Black would soon meet the safe fate that he intended for me.

Sam reactivated the security system once we entered the home, and I heard the tell-tale beeping of the front door opening as someone deactivated the alarm system. Male voices, sounding slightly drunk, echoed from the foyer before the blast of two, clean shots rang out. A scuffle commenced, the voice of Jacob cursing and screaming bringing the first true smile to my face since finding out that Bella was gone.

The room suddenly filled with a soft, yellow glow as Ben flipped on the lights. Sam held Jacob with his arms against his back, his body twisting and turning as he struggled against the large man. His dark, brown eyes widened in horror as they landed on me sitting at his small, oak table, my body a picture of relaxation.

"Hello, Jacob," I practically purred, grinning evilly as Sam shoved him onto a chair that Ben pulled away from the table. Sam released him as I withdrew my weapon, a large, black revolver that I spun casually in circles on the shiny, oak surface. Jacob knew better than to run, for his life was about to end and he knew it from the look deep in my eyes.

"Cullen," he grunted, his eyes darting nervously from me to my gun. Stopping it mid-spin, I cocked it and he jumped, his body visibly shaking as the barrel pointed directly at him.

"Where's Bella, Jakey," I asked, stroking the handle with one steady finger. His forehead began to bead in sweat as Sam stood looming over him, glaring down at him, daring him to make one false move.

"I...I don't know," he muttered, glancing from me to Sam. Ben stood casually behind them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed at his chest. "The last thing I heard was her brother and cousin ran off with her. That's all I know, I swear."

"Where's James, Jakey," I then asked, my face growing hot. This son of bitch better start talking before I blow his head off.

"I...I'm not sure," he mumbled, screaming as I whipped my fist out, slamming it into his nose. It was a pretty good shot considering I wasn't right handed. The blood gushed from his broken nose and he gasped, choking as the liquid seeped down the back of his throat. His nose began to turn an ugly shade of red, the blood swelling below the surface of his skin. Jacob clasped his hands over his face, tears forming in his eyes as he began to cry like a fucking baby.

"You better start talking, man. Give me something, anything, and maybe I'll let you live," I told him, smoothly lying as he stared at me suspiciously.

"I don't know where they are! James left town the day after Bella did! You're not gonna let me live," he wept, and I swear to God I watched as the front of his suit pants turned a darker shade, the smell of piss making my nose wrinkle in disgust.

"You pissed yourself? Are you kidding me?" I scowled as Sam and Ben began to chuckle, Jacob's face turning red in humiliation as his nose continued to swell. "Jacob, I was willing to take it easy on you, but since you're of no use to me, I think I'll take my time slowly torturing you."

His eyes widened as I picked the gun up, pointing it straight at his left shoulder and pulling the trigger. The force of the shot threw him back and he toppled over along with the chair. Jacob screamed and withered on the floor, clasping his bullet wound that he constantly peered down at as I stood from my chair hovering over him.

"How did you and James keep in touch?" I asked, aiming the gun at his other shoulder. "Tell me and I'll end your suffering by killing you quickly."

"He always contacted me, using a different burn phone each time! I swear to God, Edward, I don't know where he is or how to contact him!"

"Not good enough," I replied, shooting him in his right shoulder. He jerked and screamed, the blood now coating the floor all around us as his eyes fluttered, the loss of blood slowly taking his life away.

"I don't know, Edward. Please just kill me," he moaned, blood trickling now from his mouth.

"Nah, that's too easy. I think I'll let you suffer a little longer," I said, sitting back down at the table. Ben and Sam picked Jacob back up, throwing his limp body on the bloody chair, the three of us watching as he faded in and out of consciousness. At first I thought he was truthful about not knowing the whereabouts of Bella or James. Then he began to repeat a word...a strange word. It was a word I'd heard before from someone, somewhere. As Jacob slowly died, I heard the word come from his mouth one last time, the last word he said before his labored breathing came to a halt and his limp body slid from the chair to the floor.

"What did he say?" Sam asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, staring at me across the table.

Running my fingers through my hair, wracking my brain for the source of said word, I muttered, "Tishomingo." We left Jacob's dead body laying on the floor, surrounded in his own thick blood. His men's body's lay lifeless in the foyer, right where Sam and Ben shot them. Jacob's last word ran on repeat in my mind as we approached the vehicle, a worried-looking Tia and Carmen hiding inside.

A simple Google search on my phone during the drive home that night answered my question for me. Tishomingo was a county in northeastern Mississippi. Did Jacob's dying word mean that James or Bella and the guys were in Tishomingo? And why did that word sound so familiar to me? Had Bella mentioned it before? We dropped Tia and Carmen off at their respective homes, and headed towards my house, which was no longer a crime scene. I doubted Bella would want to live there any longer, once I found her...and I would find her, if it took the rest of my life.

Just as we pulled up to my newly purchased gate, my phone quietly lit up. My father's name and stern face flashed across the screen and I answered it quickly, for it was the middle of the night and he'd only call me this late for one reason.

He had information on Bella.

Sam pulled into the drive as I silently listened to Carlisle speak, his words shocking me into utter silence. Sam killed the engine, he and Ben turning in their seats to peer at my rigid figure curiously. My face felt as though it were frozen, my voice gone. When Carlisle finished speaking, I dropped the phone, forgetting to end the call, the cell phone shining brightly from it's spot on the floorboard as I stared straight ahead, stalk still.

"Bella's debit card was scanned in a small town in Mississippi," I whispered, my eyes now darting from Sam to Ben. They exchanged glances, small smiles creeping onto their faces at the new information. "She gave the cashier her card info...because her card is still here, in the house. It's in her purse along with the rest of her stuff."

"That's good news, right," Sam asked anxiously, staring at my pale face, the blood having drained from it long ago. "Why are you looking like that? What's wrong? You're freaking me out..."

"It's what she purchased with that card," I whispered, groaning and leaning back against the seat, scrubbing my face with my hands.

"What did she buy?" Ben asked, carefully gauging my expression.

A hysterical laugh left my mouth as I thought of the strange mix of emotion raging through my body. How can you be happy, sad, terrified, worried, and nervous, all at the same time? Oh, and nauseous...I was definitely nauseous.

"Three pregnancy tests," I chuckled, laughing even harder as their mouths simultaneously dropped open before staring at one another in shock.

"Crap, man...Bella may be...pregnant?" Sam whispered, slowly shaking his head in awe. "Now what? What's the plan now?"

Grabbing my phone from the floor and scrolling through the numbers, my finger hovered over the one I needed. I pressed the screen, pulling open the door handle. Stepping from the car I looked at Ben and Sam, calling over my shoulder, "First we find out what's in Tishomingo. Then we find Bella...and our baby." She was pregnant. I couldn't feel her near me anymore, but in my heart I knew she was alive and well, somewhere out there, with our child growing lovingly inside her.

**A/N:**Reviews are appreciated. Thanks to **cheech83**, my RL Carmen, my pre-reader this chapter. Blame her for any of my dyslexic/ADD/bipolar mistakes ;)


	23. Chapter 23: Unwanted Advances

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Plastic Ducks and Unwanted Advances**

Pregnant?

"Gimme that test!" I said, snatching the little, plastic pregnancy test from Emmett's fingers. Staring down at it, I felt my stomach roll once more as the blue, positive sign seemed to grow bigger and bigger, flashing like a neon light. This couldn't be right...I couldn't be...pregnant. A tight knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I stared up at my stepbrother in shock, his face slightly excited, yet slightly sympathetic all at once.

"I'm...pregnant?" I asked in disbelief, shaking my head and staring at the indicator screen in shock. He picked up a second test from beside the sink, holding it up so I could see the positive sign on it as well.

"You're pregnant," he confirmed, waving it in the air as though it were a magic wand. He picked up the third test and any doubt I had now was ompletely erased as he showed me the third positive test.

"There's no way," I muttered, placing the test carefully beside the sink, untangling my legs and digging through the waste basket for the instructions. This was not part of the plan...something went wrong. But how could I take a pregnancy test the wrong way? You pee on the stick and that's it...right?

"This claims the test can show accurate positive results ten days after conception...I have no idea how far along I am," I mumbled, flipping thoroughly through the pages. Em began to shift uncomfortably in place near the bathroom door.

"Don't you, uh, need to know when your last...period and stuff was," he asked, his face bright red. Thinking carefully, I honestly couldn't remember when I had my last period. The last few months were a blur of activity, between meeting Edward and avoiding James. Then a sickening realization washed over me.

"I drank wine last night!" I whispered in horror, the instruction pages of the pregnancy test slipping through my numb fingers and fluttering to the floor. What if I hurt the baby? "Oh, no, Em, what have I done?" I cried, placing a flat hand on my abdomen. A huge sense of guilt and remorse replaced any shock or denial I was feeling at that moment.

"Don't worry, Bellarina," he cooed, reaching down and patting me on the head like a child. "Uncle Em is gonna take care of everything. Don't you worry about nothin'."

He pulled me from where I was perched, guiding me downstairs, the wooden steps creaking and sighing beneath our weight. Jasper sat at the kitchen table, cleaning his prized Beretta. A knot formed in my throat as I thought of a million ways to break the news to Jasper.

I wouldn't wonder very long.

"Bella's pregnant!" Emmett bellowed in announcement, easing me onto the plaid couch from which I glared up from. I wrapped the navy and burgundy throw that hang from the back of the couch around my body, evading Jasper's probing gaze. Emmett, plopped down beside me, pulling me into his side, leaving his heavy arm drapped across my shoulders.

"So, I'm guessing the test come back positive," Jasper's quiet voice said, as he walked across the room and sat on the edge of a lumpy recliner. He dropped his face into his hands, rubbing briskly as I heard a humorless chuckle escape his lips. "Of course you're pregnant. You can't ever do anything easy, can you Bella?"

"What do you mean by that?" I snapped, throwing Emmett's massive arm from around my shoulders as he gave me a hurtful scowl. "Do you think I planned any of this? No, I didn't plan any of this! How do you think I feel? I'm pregnant! And you won't let me talk to Edward, who has the right to know that he has a pregnant fiancé out there somewhere. James is after me, and now I can't just worry about him hurting my family, or my friends, but my unborn child as well. I'd love for everything to be 'easy', but it's just not, okay?"

"Edward coulda kept it in his pants...I shouldn't have let you sleep in the room with him..." Jasper groaned, still scrubbing his face in his hands. In typical Jasper style, he was blaming himself for my transgressions.

"You couldn't have kept me from him to begin with, and hey, it takes two to tango. It's not like I turned him down, in fact it was usually _me_ who pursued _him_," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Besides, don't try to tell me that you and little Ms. Alice haven't been gettin' it on since day one."

Jasper dropped his hands from his face, looking absolutely murderous. His face turned a humiliating shade of red as he glared at me. "Alice and I have done nothing but kissed. I, unlike some people I know, honor a woman's virtue..."

"Virtue?" I laughed, tears forming in my eyes. "I lost any sense of 'virtue' I had a long, long time ago, Jasper. But this time I took control of my body, my heart, my soul, and I _gave myself _to the man I wanted to be with. Edward _took nothing _from me. He took nothing but gave me so much. He's even given me a baby..."

"A baby that needs to be checked up on," Emmett interrupted, thankfully ending our bitter argument. "She drank some wine last night, so she's worried it's gonna hurt the little guy. Or girl."

"How much wine?" Jasper asked, his eyes narrowing as he propped his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. His gaze was critical. He wondered where I got wine, why I drank it to begin with. I'm not usually the type to drink alone, being more of a social drinker than anything else.

"Not half a bottle...maybe like a fourth of a bottle. I found some wine in an old cedar chest. It was muscadine, so I just had a little, for nostalgic purposes," I replied, meeting Jasper's gaze evenly, trying to be as honest as I could without actually telling him about G's gift. That man still played through my mind, and if I ever saw him again I'd wring his neck. What a stupid plan that wine caused me to hatch up! I was willing to risk James finding me, when the plan first formulated in my idiotic brain, if it meant Edward knowing I was safe as well. But now that I was pregnant...what a stupid mistake I'd made.

Jasper seemed to physically relax, somewhat. The tension left his shoulders, leaving them to slump slightly. He leaned back in the recliner, pressing his lips together as he stared at me, running a hand through his honey-blonde locks thoughtfully. "That much wine's not gonna hurt the baby," he told me, breaking my gaze to stare into the unlit fireplace thoughtfully.

"How do you know that?" I asked, wrapping the throw even tighter around my body as Emmett let out a sigh of relief beside me. Emmett always believed anything that came out of Jasper's mouth, without question. I usually did too, but when it came to my child, I wanted to know without question that he or she was alright.

"Eight grade health class?" he snorted, chuckling lightly. "I don't know _how_ I know. I just _know_...okay?"

"That's not good enough for me," I sighed, tugging on a long strand of brown hair. "I need to see a doctor. All my insurance information is at home, not that you'd let me use it anyway. Paper trail and all," I swallowed dryly, guiltily. "No one is gonna see me without any insurance! What can I do?" We all sat in the living room in silence, lost in our own thoughts. I worked what little of my thumbnail I had left between my teeth, gnawing at the jagged edges.

"Let's just call Edward," Emmett suggested, sending my heart into overdrive. "We'll tell him we're okay...we'll find out if they've seen or heard from James or Jacob. We can even check on Alice and Rose. Bella's right...he deserves to know that she's pregnant. What if it were Alice? Wouldn't you want to know if she was pregnant with your child? Would you want her to keep it a secret? Maybe Edward and Carlisle took care of James and Jacob...maybe it's safe to come home and let Bella see a good doctor. You know Edward will hire the best doc in Memphis once he finds out."

"Fine," Jasper sighed, and I swear I willed myself not to give my brother a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek for his suggestion. "We'll drive to town and buy a disposable phone. We'll call and find out what we need to know. But I'm talking to Edward first. We don't tell him where we are until I know it's safe. We don't need him driving down here like maniac with James or Jacob right on his heels."

We parted ways well into the night, thoughts of finally talking to Edward after all these days rushing through my brain. After brushing my teeth and slipping under the covers, I said a long prayer. I prayed that we'd all be safe, especially the baby. My hand found its way to my belly as I wondered about the tiny life growing inside. Rubbing my hand in small, tender circles over where I believed my child rested, I couldn't help but to wonder how I felt about being pregnant. Was I happy about being pregnant? I honestly couldn't say. There was no time for happiness when a psychotic stalker was somewhere out there searching for me. A fierce sense of protection flowed through my veins for my unborn child as the thought of James or Jacob crept through my mind. Love? Did I love this child? Without a doubt. I'd kill to protect mine and Edward's baby.

Will Edward be happy to find out I'm having his child? I'd like to think so. Would the baby look like me, or more like Edward? This is the last thing I thought of as I drifted into a peaceful slumber. A vision of a little girl with deep, auburn hair and piercing green eyes smiled back at me in my dreams. She ran through a field full of wildflowers, her long, wavy hair bouncing behind her as she laughed and called out for her mama and daddy. Edward and I followed behind, our hands intertwined as we shared a happy smile, watching out little girl twirl around, her hands full of bright yellow buttercups. I could practically smell their scent hanging in the springtime air.

When Jasper said we'd ride into town to get a phone, he didn't mean the next day. Or the next, or the next. It was a week before Christmas when we drove into 'town' which was actually a town in the opposite direction of the one we'd visited the day I tricked the elderly lady into using my debit number. The ride was just as long, however, and when we pulled up to a large, two-story sporting goods store I couldn't help but scowl at Jasper and Emmett. The ride made me tired, slightly nauseated, and I was pissed off from Jasper putting our phone call off so many days.

"Why are we here?" I sneered, glaring up at the monstrosity of a building. It was hunter green with bright red letters announcing the name. The parking lot was full of men wearing worn jeans and camouflage. Usually, I'd get excited being in the vicinity of a building bursting with hunting gear and guns, but not anymore. Because now I'm pregnant. And, apparently, this pregnant women gets pissed off very easily.

"I'd like to look at a new gun, and I need some clothes. My friend made sure you had plenty...he didn't worry with me or Emmett so much," he muttered bitterly, grabbing the handle and pushing his car door open. I heard Emmett chuckle below his breath as we followed Jasper across the parking lot and into the building. Jasper was referring to G, his mysterious friend that weighed heavily on my mind. Why did I wonder about this man so much? Boredom, perhaps. He filled in the gaps between my thoughts of Edward, the baby, James and Jacob. Being a naturally curious creature, I couldn't help but wonder about G and how he seemed very well acquainted with my cousin, who'd never mentioned him one time to me. Maybe it was the fact that Jasper avoided talking about him that caused me to obsess over him so much. I wouldn't have to wait long to have at least some of my questions answered.

Jasper didn't want us to split up inside the building. Rolling my eyes, I pressed through the massive racks of camouflage, making my way to the elevator. There was a rock fountain on each side of the elevator, shiny copper-colored pennies flashing beneath the bubbling water where they rested between flat rocks. Digging in my pocket, I pulled out nothing but lint, shrugging as I closed my eyes and made a silent wish before stepping onto the elevator. Jasper and Emmett stood a few feet away, watching me warily as I smiled happily and waved, disappearing behind the elevator doors. The place was packed, and I'd be fine. James wouldn't grab me in a building full of burly, southern men. He'd be murdered in the blink of an eye!

Making my way through the large selection of grills on the second story, I spotted the footwear section. Easing through the aisles, I let my fingers wander along the leather boots, the memory of Edward giving me my cowgirl boots flashing through my mind. I couldn't help the smile that lit up my face as I remembered straddling him, kissing him, thanking him for the boots before Rose and Alice interrupted us. The smile faded and I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat as tears filled my eyes. God, how I missed that man!

Wiping the tears away with the back of my hand, I heard the unmistakable sound of laughing and the kind of creepy music that plays at carnivals and fairs. Curiosity took over, my tears now forgotten, as I crept out of the footwear section and walked along the rail of the second story. Up ahead was the biggest, pretend, indoor hunting range you can imagine. The game had been set up to look like the real outdoors. There were giant, fake trees with large, green leaves hanging from its branches and a small pond filled with bobbing plastic ducks. A rock cave loomed in one corner where a large, stuffed bear peeped from time to time. The sounds of fox chattering and birds calling drifted out all around me. There was a little girl, about six years old, her hair pulled into two tight pigtails, struggling to hold up a fake, plastic gun as she stood behind the counter that separated the wooded scene from the outside world. A duck, deer, bear or rabbit would swing out across the woodland scene and she'd pull the trigger, missing every time. An old man stood by her side, probably her grandfather, wearing a faded pair of overalls over a blue, plaid shirt. He cheered her quietly on giving her instructions as a group of teenagers stood nearby teasing and taunting her.

"You're a girl! Girls can't shoot for shit!" one of the teenagers laughed, his eyes swooping from the little girl to where I stood. He trailed his vision on me from head to toe, smirking and sending me a suggestive wink. I scowled at him as the little girl began crying, laying the plastic gun on the counter and hugging her grandfather, who glared at the teen boys.

Huffing, I grabbed the gun, hoping there were a few rounds left, and began firing away. The duck fell from the sky, a humorous quacking sound escaping his little plastic throat. The bear? He roared and groaned as he fell over dead, his lifeless body robotically disappearing between the plastic trees and back into his dark cave. The deer didn't stand a chance. I nailed the giant, fake buck directly behind his right shoulder, specifically where I'd nail him if he were a real deer. The rabbits didn't stand a chance either, and I heard my stomach growl at the thought of rabbit stew...mmmm...with carrots, potatoes and onions. They were all dead within a matter of ten seconds. I frowned as the round ended, silently wishing I had some change in my pocket to play again. It'd been too long since I'd fired a gun, even if it was only a fake gun with laser-beam bullets. Setting the gun back in its place, I met the little girl and her grandfather's wide-eyed stare.

"Don't ever let anyone make you feel less that what you really are," I told the girl, patting her affectionately on her head. Her skin was pale and she had a spattering of adorable freckles over her small nose. The teenagers grumbled and complained before finally shuffling off. The old man stared at me in awe, his wise old eyes knowing something just wasn't right with the petite young girl that stood in front of him. Nodding his head a couple of times, he placed his hands on the little girl's shoulders and they veering off. She stared back at me in awe, sucking on one dirty thumb as I gave her a soft smile.

The sound of clapping nearby startled me, snapping me out of my thoughts. Turning around I spotted G, who leaned against the counter in front of the fake woodland scene clapping his hands and pretending to wipe away a tear. I stared at him in shock, as though he were a figment of my imagination, because for a moment I thought he was. He wore a deep, rusty colored coat, hiding whatever lay beneath. The denim jeans he had on were a light blue, practically threadbare in some areas and I knew without a doubt that the worn jeans were from hard work, not for style. On his feet were a pair of brown, scuffed boots, the soles impossibly thick for rough wear. G's hair was still tousled, still the color of coffee. His long narrow face was more handsome that I remembered, but I really hadn't paid him that much attention the first time I met him. That was before I wasted my days wondering about him.

G returned my gaze, taking in my long hair, wild and wavy from falling asleep with it in a long, wet braid. The weather had been somewhat funky. It was cool some days and warm on the others. Today wasn't very cold, so I wore a black hoodie instead of a coat, the front of it zipped from bottom to top. I also had on the same pair of jeans and the sneakers I'd escaped from Memphis in. His hazel eyes looked at me approvingly, and I shifted somewhat uncomfortably before they landed on my brown ones.

"Is it part of your plan to draw attention to yourself? Because you're doing it beautifully," he drawled, crossing his arms as he continued to lean across the counter. He had a sideways grin on his face, reminding me of Jasper. In fact, there was a lot about this man who reminded me of Jasper.

"I wasn't trying to draw attention to myself," I whispered, my eyes darting around us. People strolled by, laughing and carrying on conversations with one another. No one else witnessed my plastic animal massacre. "What are you doing here? Who are you? Thanks a lot for the wine, by the way. That blew up right in my face!"

He laughed and I froze at the sound. It was so carefree, so easy. "What blew up in your face? You made a bad decision didn't you? Muscadine wine does that sometimes."

"If you're here to tease me, I'm out. I can get this treatment from my brother anytime," I muttered, attempting to walk away. He grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks as he pulled me closer to him. I could feel the heat radiating from his body as he stared down at me under his unnaturally long eyelashes.

"I came to help you, that is, if you want my help," he whispered, his gaze resting on my face. I felt my cheeks flame up at his close proximity, at the way he stared at me. My imagination was in overdrive from the hormones of pregnancy, I concluded, brushing aside the feeling that this guy didn't mind how unnecessarily close our bodies now were.

"How can you help me?" I asked, pulling my arm from his grip and taking a step back. He shoved his hands in his pockets, his gaze drifting at the packed store around us.

"I know where you can find James. And I'm willing to help you do it," he replied, glancing at my bottom lip that worked its way between my teeth. Was this guy for real? He smiled at the expression on my face before turning around to face the hunting game, shoving a few quarters into the machine before picking up his gun. Goofy music started to play as the creatures began darting out of the woods and I watched as G shot each of them down, skillfully and quickly, almost as quickly as I had before he moved up to the next round.

"How do you know about James? Did Jasper tell you about...our past? Who are you? How do you know my cousin?" I asked, the questions I'd asked myself for days finally spewing forth. He chuckled at my curiosity as he continued to take down animal after animal. He was impressive with his shooting, I'd give him that.

"You ask too many questions. Yes, I know about your history with James," he said, his voice barely audible over the cartoonish music creeping from the fake woods. "I've known Jasper since we were kids...and I've heard your name almost my whole life."

"That's what Leah said," I mused out loud, my thoughts taking a slight turn as they occasionally did. "She said she heard my name her whole life...that I was deadly with a gun." I heard him snicker beside me and I raised one eyebrow, staring at him in question.

"Leah? I know Leah," he scowled, shoving more money into the slot as he advanced to round three. "We grew up in the same shitty foster home together, like one big fucked up family. She became somewhat obsessed with you over the years. Jealousy is a nasty emotion, don't you think? Sometimes I wonder if that's why she gave up her shooting abilities and moved on to whips, swords and other random difficult weaponry she learned. She loves crazy bullshit like that. I like things simple. A clean shot...a bullet to the head. Or the heart. It depends on what kind of emotion I'm feeling at the time. Know what I mean? Of course you do. You weren't the sniper that Jasper was, but you know the power that goes with holding that gun, drawing a bead on someone's head. But, tell me one thing. How could you _not_ do it? How could you stop yourself from being that person you were always _born _to be? Was it enough just to be Jasper's wingman? You're better than that, Bella. You're better than someone's backup plan. I'd never put you in the backseat, girl. You better believe that."

He chatted in a friendly tone as he continued to shoot, my blood feeling as though it drained from my body and pooling into my sneakers. He grew up with Leah...he knew all about my past with James and with Jasper. I could only think of one way, one reason he would know all of this.

"You're an assassin?" I whispered, but it wasn't even a question, for as soon as the words left my mouth and I stared at this seemingly simple country boy standing before me, I knew it was true. He shot me a coy grin before turning back to his game.

"Assassin?" he snickered. "Not exactly. I don't do anything for free, little Bella. I believe the term 'mercenary' would be more suitable for my line of work. You sound so shocked. Did you think you and Jasper were the only ones out there, trained to kill? Not hardly. There are lots of us out there in the world, me and Leah included. But there's a big difference between you and me. I accept my fate while you continue to deny yours. What are you gonna do now? Get married and start popping out babies. Jesus. It's pathetic, really. Such a waste."

"Are you gonna tell me about James or not?" I snapped, completely insulted. How dare this man criticize me for wanting to be normal, to have a family and a life all of my own. I wouldn't let this man make me feel bad for wanting to be a better person, for burying the past and starting a whole, new future.

"Sure I will. But there's some conditions that go along with it," he replied as the next round of his game began. I narrowed my eyes glaring at him, but he continued to ignore me, shooting the ridiculous gun over and over.

"What kind of 'conditions'?" I asked him suspiciously, suddenly tired of his stupid game. Snatching the gun from his fingers, I ignored his grin as I held the gun at my waist, lazily shooting the last of the plastic animals without taking aim one time. The game advanced to the last round, but I shoved the gun back in its perch, annoyed with him and the game, not only that he was physically playing but mentally playing as well.

"I'll tell you where to find James," he replied, not acknowledging the shooting rampage I'd just went on as he turned around and leaned against the counter once more, staring at me intently. "If you take me with you when you go after him. And no telling Jasper or Emmett. They'll just muddy the waters gettin' in the way. Just me and you kid. That's the conditions...unless you prefer sitting in the woods for months waiting on him to kill everyone you care about while trying to get to you. And he will. There's not a question in my mind about that. I've known James and his sick obsession with you for years. He wanted to take you away from your family and team up with you, killing folks for hire. Somewhere the lines got blurred and his obsession with little Bella became even more sick and twisted. It's time to take him out, Bella. And I can help you."

"I can't go after James," I whispered, tears pricking the corners of my eyes as I bit the inside of my cheek. "I'm pregnant." I stared up at him but he showed no indication that my admission surprised him or mattered whatsoever.

"So? You're pregnant. Good for you. Congratulations. That's an even better reason to finish this once and for all. You think because you're pregnant, what, that you're weaker now? Please. What did you tell that little girl earlier? Don't let anyone make you feel less than what you are? You're not less of a person because you're pregnant."

"No, you dipshit," I fumed, punching him in the chest, ignoring the smile that the action evoked. "Being weak has nothing to do with it. I can't put myself in harm's way anymore. I have a baby growing inside of me. Edward's baby."

"Edward Cullen," he scowled, glaring over my shoulder, his hazel eyes forming little slits. "What a loser. Why a country girl like you would choose that city slicker is beyond me. None of my business, I supposed. You need to hurry and make up your mind...you want my help or not? Jasper is across the building searching for you as we speak."

"Can I think about it?"

"There's no time to think. Make up your mind, right here, right now."

"Fine...I'll do it. Probably not my best decision...but it seems like all my decisions here lately have been bad ones."

He chuckled, his eyes still peering over my shoulder, directed to where Jasper and Emmett continued to look for me. G's eyes landed on mine one last time as I asked, "What's the plan?"

"I'll be in touch. Don't ask me how, just know that I'll get you a message within the next few days."

"How...how can I trust you? I don't even know you," I mumbled, glancing down at my sneakers. He sighed, shifting in front of me as he struggled to formulate his thoughts into words.

"Bella, you trust Jasper, right?" I nodded slowly, meeting his deep, hazel eyes that flickered all over my face. "I'm his friend, okay? He loves you, but his protection gets in the way doesn't it?" I nodded and he continued. "He helped me out once before, and this is my way of repaying him. Okay? Just...trust me. Look into my eyes and trust me." I stared up at him, looking for a flicker of anything but honestly and loyalty. He wasn't lying. His stare intensified, and when I felt his hands reach out to cup my cheeks, I froze, the action so Edward-like that it almost knocked me over.

"I need to go now...I just wanna try one last thing," he whispered, pulling my face forward and pressing a quick kiss to my lips. I gasped in shock and felt his warm, sweet breath enter my mouth before he pulled himself quickly away. His face grew unusually shy as I stared at him first in surprise, before I felt myself grow red with anger. How dare he kiss a pregnant, engaged girl! My hands formed tight fists at my sides as I glared at him, biting my lip so hard that warm blood flowed into my mouth.

"I'm not sorry for doing that," he said, throwing his hands up, palms out as he began backing into the throng of people who surrounded us, a lopsided, cocky grin replacing his shy smile. "Remember, I'll be in touch." He vanished just as suddenly as he'd appeared and, as I turned around, I saw my brother and cousin standing before me, who stared at my angry appearance in confusion.

"What's wrong, Bellarina?" Emmett asked innocently, his arms loaded with shopping bags crammed full of camo and various other items as he scanned the crowd behind me. Jasper stood by his side, his arms as equally full of shopping bags as he studied my face thoughtfully. Feeling disgusting, dirty and guilty, I huffed, marching past them to the elevator, calling over one shoulder, "Time to go boys!" They exchanged confused glances before shrugged and jogging over to the elevator, sliding in beside me once the doors opened. We left the store, my mind doing a play-by-play of G's unwanted advances the entire time.

Jasper stopped to buy a disposable phone on the way back to the cabin, thankfully causing all thoughts of G and his kiss to fly out the window. Practically bouncing in excitement in the backseat, I squealed as Jasper placed the call directly in the store parking lot, fearing no cell service in the middle of the woods and to wise to make the call any closer to where we'd been living. He motioned for me to shut up by pressing one finger to his lips, earning him a scowl and a glare from me, and a chuckle from Emmett. After an enormous amount of time Jasper began speaking in a quiet, calm voice. The voice on the other end of the line was not so calm, not so quiet.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? WHERE IS BELLA? PUT HER ON THE PHONE NOW!" the hauntingly familiar, angry voice yelled, and I sighed in relief that he didn't sound any different and that he still cared about me.

"Calm down, Edward. Bella's fine. You know I can't tell you anything unless James and Jacob are dead, right? Are they dead, Edward?" Jasper asked, pulling a cigarillo pack out of his coat pocket. He glanced at me apologetically before shoving the pack back in its place, his fingers twitching as he craved the small cigar, sacrificing his own desires by not smoking in front of his pregnant cousin.

Sighing, Jasper handed me the phone, shaking his head as his silent way of telling me not to reveal where we were. Taking a shaky breath, I pressed the phone against my face, closing my eyes and imagining that he was there with me, in that very moment. Ignoring his cursing and sneers, I whispered, "Hey, baby."

He drew in a sharp breath right as he began to freak out. "Baby? Oh, my God. Tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you now. Are you safe? I know about the pregnancy tests. I know you're pregnant. You are pregnant, aren't you? I've followed your credit activity since the day I woke up in the hospital and Jenks, he's the private investigator that works for my family, he was able to track down your purchases. Talk to me, baby."

"I will once you let me get a word in," I laughed, leaning back in the backseat, avoiding Jasper and Emmett's careful stares. "Yes, I'm pregnant. How...how do you feel about that?" Worry suddenly took over my body at the very idea that Edward could be unhappy with this new...developement.

"How do I feel?" he laughed, and I could imagine him running his fingers through his unruly hair. "If it weren't for that James bastard still running around, I'd be fucking ecstatic. But, as it is, he's still out there and you're not here with me and I'm freaking the fuck out worrying about you and our baby. Where are you Bella? Can you tell me?"

"No," I whispered sadly, glancing up at the two guys in front of me. "I can't tell you where I'm at. They won't let me...it's too dangerous, baby. If James is still in Memphis he's more than likely still keeping a close eye on you. They don't want him following you down here."

"I know they're doing what's best for you, but that doesn't mean I like it. I killed them all, baby. I killed Jacob, Quil...I even hunted Liam down and ended his life. The only ones I haven't found are James and Leah. It's like they just stepped off the face of the Earth," he responded, his voice sounding strained. "I need you to tell me something. Does Tishomingo mean anything to you? It's the last word Jacob said before he died..." My blood froze in my veins at Edward's last comment.

"That's...that's where James took me when he kidnapped me," I mumbled as Jasper's eyes zeroed in on my own. I repeated the information Edward gave me to Jasper and Emmett as Edward sat silently on the other end of the line. He seemed lost in thought at my revelation. And then, like a ton of bricks it hit me.

James wasn't in Memphis or anywhere near the cabin we'd been hiding in. James was in Tishomingo, waiting for me to realize what he'd known this whole time...that the story would end exactly where it began. And it began in a rickety hunting cabin, nestled in foothills of jagged limestone, a cold creek jutting through the rough terrain just beyond...a creek where a little girl once bathed and wept, waiting on her cousin to save her life. He'd told me I'd know where to find him and he was right.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked Edward, trying to hide the show of emotions that played through my body. What would it matter if the boys knew that James was hiding in that hunting cabin? Would they take the chance of leaving me behind to hunt him down? Would they tell Edward where to find him, putting him in danger? G was right; this had to end by my hand and I knew exactly where the battlefield was now. With his help, and his help alone, I would end James' cruel game, with the boys being none the wiser. "The last time I saw you, you were in intensive care."

"Everything's fine as far as the gunshot wound is concerned," he replied quietly, his voice sounding thoughtful. Hopefully he wasn't still wondering about Tishomingo. The last thing I needed was for him to drive out there taking on James himself with one good arm. "I'll wear a sling for a couple of months and my mother has trying to make me take physical therapy, but I can't do anything because I'm so fucking lost without you, Bella. I need you so bad, baby."

"I need you, too. Maybe this will all be over soon and we'll be together once again," I whispered, tears streaming down my face as he heaved a heavy sigh. Jasper began motioning with his hands to wrap it up. Glaring at him, I hesitantly explained to Edward that I needed to end the call. He began protesting and yelling, causing me to cry harder. Jasper snatched the phone from my hands, ending the call and shoving the phone into his pocket. The only bright spot was that he didn't toss it out the window, and as I dried my tears I imagined somehow stealing that phone from him, although I doubted Jasper would ever let that happen.

"You didn't even give me time to ask about Alice or Rose," I accused, verbally assaulting them, attempting to make them feel guilty about ending my call.

"They're fine or Edward would have said something," Emmett said, uneasily, sounding as though he were only trying to convince himself of his own words. We drove the long trek home, my face pressed against the cool glass window beside me as my thoughts wrapped around James, G, Edward and my baby.

That night I sat on a large rock, restlessly, near the back door of the cabin. The full moon hung big and bright overhead, the white light filtering through the mostly barren branches, casting eery shadows across my pale skin. An overwhelming, choking, panicking sensation overcame me as I thought of the decision I'd made to hunt James down by the side of a man I'd only met twice, a man who for some reason kissed me without my permission. Taking deep, sucking breaths, I willed myself to calm down, feeling Jasper's eyes on me through foggy glass window inside. As my grandmother once told me, I made my bed, now I had to lie in it.

It would be a week before I'd see G again. He would come for me on Christmas night, waiting on the side of the dirt road for me to come to him, a sideways lazy smile resting on his face. And I would come to him, because it was time for me to bury my old life and for my new life to begin.

**A/N:** To all my new readers and reviewers: you guys kick ass. To my readers and reviewers who've been there from the beginning, there are no words. Thanks for continuing to follow this story so faithfully.

Wow, Bella never learns, does she? This story is winding down, sadly enough. The number twenty-five has played in my mind throughout this story. I can't promise it'll stop there, but it definitely won't be too long after that. So, what do y'all think about G's offer to help and his unwanted kiss? Can you believe Bella is gonna go after James while she's pregnant...or will Edward get there before she makes that idiotic mistake? Stupid Bella, she never learns *shakes head*. Review and let me know what you _think_ or _want_ to happen...and it just might ;)

Peace, love and very, merry Chirstmas,

Jhood


	24. Chapter 24: Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells**

G said he'd send me a message when the time came for us to hunt down James. Every night I'd pace around the cabin anxiously awaiting word from him, Jasper and Emmett staring at me suspiciously as I struggled to appear nonchalant, failing miserably. Christmas was fast approaching and I fought to ignore the swell of depression that threatened to consume me. I'd miss my first Christmas with Edward and my friends back home...home in Memphis, the only home I'd really ever known in my lifetime.

Christmas Eve eventually arrived and I busied myself putting on a stew that morning in the slow cooker so that we'd have a decent dinner that night. Emmett, who'd been holed up in his room for some reason all day, finally emerged around lunchtime, sniffing around with his nose in the air like a giant dog. He and Jasper began bitching and moaning about wanting to go hunting, a Christmas tradition not only in our family but in many other southern families as well. I tried not to snap on their asses, but it was hard, considering their whining was grating on my nerves.

"Go hunting! I'm fine here by myself. I'm not the one who wanted to hide out in the God-awful cabin in the first place!" I grunted, filling a bucket full of sudsy water before dropping it on the floor. Yes, I'd become so wound up I'd resorted to scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees.

"We can't leave you here alone, Bella...you know that," Jasper said, leaning against the back of the couch, watching me scrub the floor. "Will you please get off your knees. You shouldn't be doing stuff like that in your condition."

"I'm pregnant, not disabled," I popped off, shoving the brush firmly against the dirty floor back and forth. He sighed and walked off, standing by his favorite window, glancing outdoors longingly.

Emmett began to busy himself with the stack of bags he'd bought that day at the outdoor sporting goods store, something he did about three times a day. The first time I saw what he had in those bags, I swear I cried. Emmett bought baby clothes for his unborn niece or nephew. They were, unfortunately, all camouflage baby clothes...little camo overalls and bibs, some edged in pink ruffles, some in blue. It was the thought that counted and when I saw what he'd done I threw my arms around him blubbering like the hormonal idiot that I was. He didn't just buy for me, however. He'd also bought clothes big enough to fit a little girl named Claire, because in Emmett's mind we were getting out of these woods, going home and he'd start helping Rose get her back. In his head it would be simple, only taking a couple of months. I was jealous of Emmett and his innocence, which was sometimes mistaken for being simple or naïve.

"Maybe you can call your friend, G, to come babysit me while you hunt," I suggested, stealthily.

I'd been obsessing over covertly bringing him up in conversation with Jasper, solely to find out more about him before making my mad dash away with him. Something within me told me I could trust him, but that tiny seed of doubt, planted the day I agreed to his stupid plan, began to take root, growing into something dreadful. This guy kissed me, this guy that I'd met only once, the action literally shocking me speechless. His face leaning towards me, his lips brushing across mine...it played through my mind daily, the guilt seeping into my body, even though I clearly didn't ask or want him to kiss me.

"That's not a good idea, leaving him alone with you," Emmett laughed quietly, rolling his eyes at the dirty look Jasper shot him from beside his window. Emmett turned back to his stack of clothes, folding them carefully and tucking them back into the bags.

"Why is that?" I asked curiously, pausing with my scrubbing. Jasper glanced at me and I started back with my work, dropping my head to hide my red face, my heart racing in my chest.

"Let's just say he's got some hero-worship going on," Emmett chuckled, tucking the bags carefully back in the corner of the living room, standing up from where he perched to wipe his hands off against his camo pants. I swear the boys had worn full camo since the day we left that stupid outdoors store.

"Em, shut up," Jasper mumbled, looking slightly uncomfortable as he avoided my now probing eyes.

"No, Em, I think you should explain," I said, tossing the scrubbing-brush back into the soapy water and standing up. Picking up the bucket by the handle, I sat it in the sink and crept across the damp floor, careful not to slip. Breathing a sigh of relief, I plopped down on the couch where Emmett eventually joined me, a humorous grin on his dimpled face.

"Jasper and G have been friends since they were young, being in the same sort of business, if you will," he said, the smile leaving his face momentarily as he thought of the days Pete ruled our lives. The smile crept back though, and I swear his eyes began twinkling as he glanced at Jasper's red face before talking again. "G would hound Jasper about you all the time wanting to meet you. Jasper told me it'd make him mad as hell to see that boy and hearing him ask about you every single time. I guess you're a legend to those...kind of people. Let's just say the guy's had a mad crush on little Bella for some time now. It killed Jasper to call him and ask for his help. He never wanted you to meet the guy."

"So, G's a sniper?" I asked, already knowing the answer but trying to appear none the wiser. Jasper ran his fingers nervously through his hair, staring silently through the window.

"G's a mercenary. He kills for hire. Always has, always will," Jasper finally spoke, turning from the window and leaning against the wooden wall of the cabin. "He had a rough childhood. His mother was a meth addict and his father took turns beating on him and his little brother. One day his father hit his brother and the poor fellow never got up. His father had beaten him to death. G took his father's shotgun and killed his father. He was ten years old when that happened. There was a case against him but they ruled it self defense...his mother eventually overdosed and G went into foster care. He stayed in the system for a while and met some other kids who'd been through the same shit he had. G eventually wound up in Georgia...he was drawn into an antigovernment militia group there. They're not much different from all the other hate groups, except that they were full of American Soldiers and some pretty prestigious members of society...very secretive, very selective with it's members. That's how he met James...James was a member there at one time. That militia...that coulda been your fate, Bella. If James had his way you'd left with him as a little girl and been trained right alongside G."

"Is...is he still a member of that militia?" I asked, the blood draining from my face as Jasper told me the story of G's childhood. What if this was all part of his ploy, to pretend to help me while leading me straight into James clutches? It made so much sense.

"Nah, that militia group doesn't even exist anymore," Jasper said, watching my face carefully. "The members slowly began to disappear...or were found murdered. People assume the government stepped in...but I have my own theories about that."

"How are you even friends with someone like that?" I asked, watching his face as he suddenly appeared thoughtful.

"G's not a bad person. He's not so different from me, besides being a complete hothead. My father brainwashed me, trying my damnedest to win his...love, praise, whatever. The same thing happened with G...although he never had any family that cared about him, except his little brother, god rest his soul. At least I had my mother, and you and Em growing up. He had nothing but hard times. I think that's part of why he always asked about you. He listened to me talk about you through the years. He saw the affection I had for you. I think maybe he fell in love with the idea of you...does that make sense? You were this unobtainable little thing with a gun, dependable, trustworthy and apparently beautiful, or so he told me the one time he spied your photo inside my wallet. He got cold-cocked for that comment, by the way."

"Do you trust G?" I asked, ignoring his comments about G's affections towards me, picking at my ruined fingernails as I avoided his probing gaze. He leaned against that wall for several seconds, thoughtfully considering his response.

"I'd trust G with my life. But I don't trust him around you," he finally answered, my eyes snapping up to his. "He wouldn't hurt you...but he'd try like hell to talk you into running away with him."

"I'd never run away with anyone, besides Edward," I snapped, crossing my arms and glaring at my cousin as I forgot my ruined nails. Jasper smiled, his white teeth sparkling beneath the old, rusty gold chandelier that hang over our heads.

"Of course you wouldn't, sugar," he drawled in an unconvinced tone as he shot Emmett a quick glance. Emmett shifted uncomfortably beside me and I felt a stab of betrayal hit me straight in my heart, because once again I lied to my family. I was running off with G, but not in the way Jasper was suggesting.

"I'm gonna make my rounds outside. Holler if you need me," Jasper said, pushing himself off the wall and grabbing his coat from the coat rack. He glanced out the window one last time before picking up the rifle propped next to the door, clutching it in one hand as he twisted the doorknob with the other.

"Hey, Jasper," I called out, just before he disappeared outside. He turned, raising an eyebrow in question.

"What's G's real name?" I asked curiously, leaning forward on the worn couch in anticipation for an answer that I'd wanted from the moment I met G.

"I don't know," Jasper said, in a serious tone, pulling the door behind him. "He's never told anyone his real name." His voice became muffled as the door shut. I leaned back on the couch turning to look at Emmett who'd become oddly quiet. He was staring at me in a contemplative manner.

"What?" I asked, wrinkling my brow.

"Nothing, squirt. I'm gonna fix me a sandwich to tide me over until I get some of that kick-ass stew. You want one?" he said, stretching his big arms out and yawning, his strange expression now replaced with one of boredom and hunger. I shook my head and he shrugged, mumbling about proper nutrition in pregnant women before shuffling to the kitchen.

I spent the rest of Christmas day in that living room, staring into space, wrapped in an old navy and red throw that I'd pulled from the back of the couch. My thoughts were with Edward wondering what he was doing and if his thoughts were of me as well. When I wasn't thinking about Edward I was thinking about G, his miserable childhood and his own lose of innocence. Jasper's words played in the back of my mind. If James had his way, I'd ended up at an antigovernment militia. Not once had I wondered what James' plans were for me after kidnapping me. I always assumed that he wanted to hide me away, slowly stripping away my dignity and self-worth for the rest of my life. The militia was never mentioned in court, but that wasn't entirely surprising. Jasper said it was very secretive and I guess no one could link James to the group. Jasper never bringing it up wasn't surprising either. Jasper had a tendency to avoid speaking about anything that had to do with the abuse I suffered at the hands of that psycho. He blamed himself for what happened to me and the subject was a shameful one, to put it simply. I'd never, in this lifetime, convince Jasper that what happened in the past wasn't his fault, at all. He'd rather live with the guilt, and no one would stop him.

I drifted to sleep on the couch, finding myself somewhere in that place between consciousness and rest, unable to tell if I was really asleep or not. The homey smell of warm stew kept rousing me, preventing me from getting any real sleep. The room became dark as the day winded down, the only light coming from the soft yellow glow of the kitchen and from the big, fat, full moon that hung in the dark sky, the moonlight spilling in through the tiny space between the curtains of the window. Emmett and Jasper were standing in the kitchen, hovering over the crockpot, thoughts of keeping guard momentarily gone as their stomachs now controlled their minds.

Opening my eyes, I glanced at the window, staring at the pattern of the barren branches outside as they danced in the stiff, cold December wind. That's when I saw it; the glow of a cherry from a cigarette. My heart stopped as my body stiffened. Jasper and Emmett's conversation continued to flow as though they'd spotted nothing. Was it G? Or...James. There was only one way to find out.

Sitting up on the couch I tried to get my bearings as the prolonged amount of time spent lying down and then sitting up made me slightly dizzy. I stretched and even pretended to yawn. Standing up, I shot Emmett and Jasper an innocent smile before easing into the bathroom, doing my business and washing my shaky fingers. Crap! This is it...time to decide whether to run or continue to hide out in these god-awful woods in the middle of nowhere. After drying my hands I opened the bathroom door, shutting off the light and closing the door behind me.

"Can I go outside and sit on my rock?" I asked Jasper, making my voice sound sort of pathetic. I knew he hated when I asked his permission to do things, but it sort of made it easier to get my way sometimes.

He frowned at me, removing three bowls from the cabinet near the sink. "Bella, you know I don't mind you sitting outside at night as long as I walk around and check things out first. Why don't you wait until we finish eating?"

"You just made rounds a few minutes ago. I'd like to clear my head for a minute or two. I swear, I'll be in and out," I begged, grabbing my coat from near the door, already knowing what his answer would be. He sighed heavily, waving a bowl in the air.

"Okay, but we're not waiting on you," he warned with an uneasy, forced smile. I grinned in response, reminding him to warm up the pan of cornbread in the oven before disappearing through the back door, closing it firmly behind me. The cold air bit at my skin as I zipped my coat up, stumbling towards the large rock situated behind the cabin. I'd spent plenty of nights sitting on that hard, frozen rock, crying over Edward and my situation.

"Keep on walkin' to that rock, sweetheart," I heard G's smooth voice whisper from the woods, my heart now pumping in overdrive. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, unsure of what was about to take place, what his plans were. Making my way across the uneven surface, I perched carefully on the rock, not very far from the tree line where he stood. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the kitchen curtains fall back into place as though Jasper or Emmett had glanced outside to make sure I arrived at my destination unharmed.

"Have you changed your mind?" he asked me quietly as I struggled to see him, to no avail. It were as though he were a ghost, an invisible man, blending into the trees around him. The air was silent after his question, except for the hoot of an owl and the songs of crickets. I opened and closed my mouth several times, still unsure of my answer.

"If I can trust you, then why can't we tell Jasper?" I asked, the question one of the most important ones in my mental list of possible unanswered questions.

"Because Jasper will say no," his gentle voice laughed quietly, drifting from the trees. "He trusts no one to watch you while he hunts James down...and he'd never put you in harm's way by carrying you with him to kill James."

"But you will?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're willing to put me in harm's way? Why? Because you don't know me? Is it because I'm disposable to you?"

There was a long, bloated pause before his steely voice sneered, "No, you're not disposable to me, sweetheart. I'm not putting you in harm's way. I'm going with you and you're the best at what we do. Where's the harm? Now, hurry up and make your decision. In about two minutes that back door is gonna open and he'll call you back inside."

"Fine," I answered, making my decision. "What's the plan?"

"There's a dirt road that runs just through these woods. When Jasper takes his nightly piss break, I need you to make a run for it. I'll be waiting there for you. You need to run fast, and please don't trip. I've heard about your unsteady gait," he laughed quietly.

I scowled, glaring out into the darkness. "That's your big plan? Wait on me to run through the dark woods? That's a pretty shitty plan if you ask me."

"Sorry, sweetie. If you wanna go home to Eddie boy you'll have to make a run for it. Can you do that? Can you run, Bella?"

I snickered, rolling my eyes and mumbling, "Flawlessly. I've been running my whole life."

"See you in a bit," he whispered, the crackling of branches and bracken sounding in the distance.

"Wait!" I hissed and the sound paused, the air now filled with silence as he waited for me to continue. "What's your name, G? I refuse to leave until you tell me your name."

"Why does it matter?" he asked quietly, sounding unsure of himself.

"It just does, okay? It matters to me," I responded, twisting my engagement ring nervously around my finger as I waited.

"My name's Garrett. Garrett Ratliff," I heard him whisper, just as the back door of the cabin opened and Jasper called out my name.

Sliding from the rock, I shot one last look into the dark woods before crossing the distance between the rock and the doorway where Jasper stood. He had a strange look on his face as his eyes darted out into the darkness. Holding my breath, I waited on him to somehow discover Garrett in the distance, but he simply narrowed his eyes, pressing his lips tightly together before shutting the door and twisting the deadbolt behind him.

A bowl of hot stew and a triangle of cornbread awaited me at the table. Crumbling the cornbread in my stew, I dug in with my spoon, ignoring the burn inside my mouth as the spicy food warmed my frozen body. I hummed in appreciation as Emmett sat across from me at the table, eating what was probably his fourth bowl of stew. He smiled big and I laughed at the pepper that stuck between his teeth. He frowned in confusion and then shrugged, uncaring about why I was laughing at him as he continued to shovel meat and vegetables in his mouth. Jasper went into the bathroom and I heard running water and what sounded like his soft voice drift out from under the door.

"Is he talking to himself?" I asked, raising my brow as I stared at the light that seeped out beneath the bathroom door.

Emmett shrugged, shifting in his seat as he mumbled something about us all slowly losing out minds as we hid out in the woods. Jasper's soft voice disappeared and then the sound of running water stopped as well. He opened the door, shutting off the light and wandering over to his window, ignoring my confused gaze.

Emmett and I finished our supper and he put away the leftovers as I thoroughly washed the dishes, setting them in the drainer to drip dry. The hours seemed to drag by as I tried to figure out just how to slip past Jasper's watchful gaze. It was his turn for the nightly watch, and Emmett eventually trudged upstairs, after thanking me for the delicious meal as he gave me a hug, pressed a kiss on my forehead and whispered, a very sad "Merry Christmas" in my ear before turning to the confines of his bedroom. Jasper wished me a Merry Christmas as well and gave me a soft smile and an awkward hug before I escaped upstairs. I slipped into my bed and stared at the ceiling for a good amount of time, mentally preparing myself to make my great escape. Because, since speaking to Garrett, I'd pretty much figured when I could slip past Jasper.

If there's one thing I can tell you about Jasper Swan, it's this: he is a creature of habit. On his nights to keep watch he has the same routine. He sits near the cold fireplace staring out the nearby window for a while. Then he moves to the kitchen area, glancing through the faded kitchen curtains at the dark woods beyond. Next he makes his rounds outside, rifle in hand and Beretta in his waistband, inspecting the property for any signs of an intruder. Then he returns to the cabin where he sneaks a sip of whiskey from a dusty bottle hidden behind the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. After that, he cracks a window and hotboxes a cigarillo, trying to mask the scent with some cheap air freshener that sits on top of the refrigerator. The only time he's not on guard is when he's pissing, and that happens roughly around midnight, or at least that's what the annoying pipes that runs through the walls tell me every other night.

I picked up on Jasper's nightly habits after a few bored nights in the cabin. At first I found it predictable and sometimes humorous, but now I only saw his nightly ritual as valuable information. Staring at the numbers on the old clock on my rickety nightstand slowly flip over, I nearby fell out of bed when they turned to eleven fifty-five. Not to draw suspicion to myself, I kept on my purple pajamas I'd pulled on at bedtime and shoved my feet into a ridiculous pair of bright yellow duck slippers I'd found in the bottom of my closet upon first moving into the cabin. Thanks, Garrett, you asshole. It would look strange to put on my shoes to go downstairs for a 'midnight snack', my feeble excuse for being up so late.

I trekked downstairs, to find Jasper busily trying to sneak the Jack back under the kitchen sink. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a bowl, filling it was fruity deliciousness and dousing it in milk. Dropping it on the kitchen table, I began shoving spoonfuls into my mouth, my eyes darting to the door and the deadbolt that was thoroughly locked. Jasper cleared his throat nervously, embarrassed at being caught with his hands in the cookie jar, so to speak. Emmett's loud snores drifted downstairs, causing Jasper and I to chuckle at the sound. I tried to act normal, although I felt anything but, as Jasper quietly excused himself to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him. I had two minutes...two minutes to get out of that cabin before Jasper snatched me back.

Darting up from the table, I crept over to the small table near the bathroom, the table where Jasper always left his revolver while pissing. The counter in the bathroom was too tiny to hold a gun, and it was the only time Jasper didn't have to gun practically glued to his side. Snatching the gun and neglecting covertness, for the sound of the toilet flushing alerted me of just how little time I had, I sprinted across the room, the wooden boards creaking below my feet. Grabbing my coat from near the door and shoving the gun into one, deep pocket, I twisted the deadbolt and flew out into the darkness. I left the door wide open in my haste, knowing that Jasper would find his gun missing and know immediately that something was awry. The gun couldn't be left behind, because as much as I wanted to trust Garrett, I couldn't...not entirely.

Shoving my arms into the sleeves of the puffy, black coat, I saw my breath escape the sides of my mouth in little white puffs, the warm air leaving my body drifting over my cracked lips. My duck-covered feet darted past the tree line as I ran blindly through the woods, the sound of male voices yelling out behind me. Jasper noticed my escape and apparently woke Emmett up. There was a brief flash of headlights up ahead, and I found myself climbing a heavy slope before breathlessly arriving on a dirt road. There he stood, leaning casually against a brand new, sleek, black sports car, looking rather ridiculous next to the expensive vehicle wearing a worn pair of jeans and his own camouflage coat. He watched as I leaned over, momentarily taking large, panting breaths as I struggled after my mad dash.

"You look...breathtaking, my love," he smirked sarcastically, glancing down at my purple pajamas, half-zipped black coat and stupid yellow ducky slippers.

Standing upright, I glared at him, muttering, "Fuck you, Garrett."

"I'd like to, sweetheart, but unfortunately there's no time for romance," he laughed, just as the sound of an engine turning over broke out in the distance. "Jasper and Emmett are on their way, so I'll have to take a rain check. But don't worry, I'll take you up on your offer later, that is, if your offer's still on the table."

He pulled open the door, motioning for me to get inside of the vehicle, the grin still on his stupid face. Glaring, I rounded the car, hoping in the passenger side and slamming the door behind me. He slid behind the wheel, cranked the car and spun down the road, the speed of the vehicle causing my head to fly back and a squeal to leave my lips. Garrett chuckled quietly, spinning dirt beneath the tires as we flew down the old, dusty road. My hands were clutching the dark, leather seats beside me, but I let go, just long enough to fumble with the seat belt, snapping it across my waist.

"You should put on your seat belt," I muttered, staring wide-eyed at the dark trees that soared past us. Garrett suddenly took a sharp left turn, just as headlights beamed up behind us in the distance. Jasper was driving the Taurus, and didn't stand a chance against the speed of the sports car we were in. We lost him quickly and I caught Garrett glancing at my profile, shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, my hands finding their home back on the leather seat.

"Seatbelt? Don't worry about me, sweetheart. I'll be fine," he said, keeping the small grin on his face.

"Where are we going, Garrett?" I asked, ignoring his comment, watching as we approached the giant sign announcing one mile before hitting the Natchez Trace Parkway.

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" he asked, the one mile quickly disappearing beneath our tires as he made the turn on the Parkway.

The Natchez Trace Parkway was a national scenic route full of historical sites that spanned over four hundred miles. Garrett taking this direction confused me. The speeding fines were probably double what they normally were on the other highways in Mississippi, and heavily traveled by the highway patrol, so if he decided to speed we'd easy be pulled over by a waiting highway patrolman.

"You know we're going to Tishomingo, Bella. You're pretty easy to read...did you figure it out on your own?" he asked, sounding honesty curious about my answer.

"No...I talked to Edward," I responded, watching the play of emotions across his face. "Several days ago Jasper let me call him. He told me that Jacob was dead, but before he died his last word was 'Tishomingo'. It shoulda clicked in a long time ago. James told me that I'd know where to find me, that he'd be waiting. Why I never figured it out is beyond me."

"Does Edward think James is in Tishomingo?" he asked, a strange tone in his voice. I stared at him for a moment, unsure of the expression on his face.

"I...I don't know. I told him that's where he took me when he kidnapped me," I mumbled, for some reason not wanting to tell him that.

He cursed below his breath, his face taking a murderous scowl. My hand found its way into my coat pocket, the pads of my fingers brushing against the cool metal within. I didn't think I'd need to use the gun, but knowing it was there was pretty comforting.

"Why does it matter if Edward knows?" I asked, stroking Jasper's gun.

"Because I don't need him in the way fucking up my plans," he replied, running his fingers through his dark hair as we passed a rest stop and a filed full of Native American Indian mounds, their soft, gentle slopes invisible in the inky darkness.

"And what is the plan, exactly?" I asked, watching as the bright green mile markers flashed by, glowing in the headlights from the sports car.

He took a deep breath, glanced at me for a second, his eyes resting on mine before giving me a gentle smile. "There's some clothes for you in the backseat. You'll need to climb back there and slip them on. When we get to Tishomingo I'm gonna pull off in some woods and stash the car. There's a dry creek bed that runs through those woods for several miles, Brice's Creek is what they call it. We need to travel up that creek for a while. There's on old tree stand about twenty yards from the hunting cabin. I'll go in and draw James out. You'll need to kill him once he comes outside."

"How will you draw him out? What if he kills you?" I asked, the sign announcing Tishomingo county looming in the distance. I climbed over the seat, leaving my duck slippers resting on the floorboard and I landed next to a pile of dark clothes.

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. I'll be fine," he repeated once again, unconvincingly, glancing at me in the rearview mirror as I slipped off my puffy coat.

I glared at him and warned him to keep his eyes forward. He shot me what was possibly the most innocent look I'd seen his face hold yet, before laughing as I reached forward and swiveled the mirror to the side, preventing him from peeping at me. It was somewhat awkward undressing in the backseat of a tiny sports car, mere inches away from a man who supposedly had a childhood crush on me. There'd never been anyone else, besides Edward, show me any type of affection, aside from the typical sweet-talking boy. Garrett acted like a gentleman, not peeking once as I changed my clothes. He fiddled with the radio, and the soulful voice of Elvis Presley drifted through the speakers as he sang about a blue Christmas.

The clothes I slipped on were all black, including a pair of sturdy, waterproof boots that ended just above my knees. I rejoined Garrett up front, accidentally bumping my head against the dashboard as I climbed back over the seat, earning a snicker from my partner in crime. Glaring at him, I rubbed the bump on my head and listened as he began laying out the plan for the night ahead. I listened carefully, sliding on my puffy coat, the car eventually slowing down after leaving the Natchez Trace, pulling off an exit. I screamed as Garrett suddenly screeched to a halt, smoke from the tires biting into the asphalt swirling around us outside, dancing in the beams of the headlights like ghosts.

We sat in the middle of the exit, Garrett's jaw tight and twitching. The smoke drifted away and I stared through the window, searching for the cause of our standstill and Garrett's distress. A black SUV sat sideways in the road, blocking us from driving any further. And leaning against that SUV stood Edward, glaring through the tinted windows of Garrett's sports car, his left arm resting in a sling.

"Edward!" I gasped, just as a set of headlights trailed in behind us.

Garrett groaned, muttering Jasper's name as we watched the mom-mobile pull directly up on Garrett's bumper. Suddenly, I found myself concerned with Garrett's life as I watched Edward push himself off the SUV and cross the asphalt towards us, the sound of the Taurus doors opening and closing as well. Garrett muttered an obscenity below his breath, just as Edward yanked open his door and Jasper pulled him from the car.

Scrambling get out of the vehicle I screamed as Jasper slugged Garrett in the mouth, horrified by the sight of my new friend falling to the ground. Someone, I think it was Emmett, grabbed me from behind as I attempted to help him, tears streaming down my face as Edward now took a turn on Garrett, hitting him surprisingly effective with his right arm. In my peripheral vision, I saw Ben exit the SUV, walking slowly towards us as he made a feeble attempt to calm Edward down. It was Jasper who eventually stopped him from beating Garrett to death, calmly telling him that his friend had learned his lesson.

"You're so fucking stupid, Bella!" Edward sneered, effectively causing me to halt in my fight to break free of Emmett's clutches. Edward left Garrett sitting on the ground, his face swollen and bloody as he glared up at Edward from his position. Edward crossed the distance between us, a murderous glare on his face, causing me to swallow dryly. Emmett automatically dropped his hands from my arms as Edward grabbed me, pulling me forward against his warm body.

"Why are you so _fucking_ stupid, Bella? You ran off with someone you don't even know! How could you do something so idiotic?" he hissed, his hypnotizing scent surrounding me. With his close proximity I forgot my anger at his words and ignored his question, wrapping my arms around him, his soft lips now pressing kisses against my forehead.

"How did you find us?" I whispered, pulling away from him, his face searching mine carefully.

"Jasper heard you mention Tishomingo to me on the phone the day you called me," he answered quietly, his tantalizing breath washing over me as he stroked the side of my face with his thumb. "He called me that night and we both realized that James was possibly hiding out in the same place where he held you captive. I told Jasper that I'd come down here and stake the place out and we both agreed to keep it between us, not wanting you, in your condition, to worry more than usual. Jasper called me again earlier tonight, telling me that you were acting strange. He was suspicious that you were planning to escape, somehow, and take matters into your own hands. I've been watching the area where James stayed for the past couple of days, and tonight was the night that we moved in on him."

"You moved in on him," I repeated dumbly, his words taking their time to sink in.

"Yes, Bella," he chuckled, pressing one last kiss to my forehead as my eyelids fluttered. "Moved in, as in, we've already moved in on him. He's currently tied up half dead with my father and Sam torturing him as we speak."

"Take me there," I said immediately. He stared at me in confusion, his face showing his lack of understanding. He didn't know why I'd want to see this man one last time...this man that caused me so much misery and grief in my life. "I need to end his life myself, Edward. I know you don't want me anywhere near him, but I feel like things won't ever be right within me if I'm not the one to do it."

He gazed at me for a long time, his green eyes boring into my brown ones as my plea hung in the air. He sighed, nodding slowly and pulling my hand into his own. Edward led me to where Jasper, Emmett, Ben and an injured Garrett stood, quietly telling the boys my desire. Garrett avoided my apologetic gaze, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he watched Edward talk.

"You can get the hell out of here," Edward eventually told him after he finished explaining what I wanted. Garrett began to argue with him, but he glanced around the group of men, seeing he was outnumbered. Garrett had a car full of weapons, but I knew he wouldn't harm anyone when he left, simply from the glance he shot me before he walked to that car. He muttered one last thing before leaving us on that road. He told me that if I ever needed him again, he'd be there. And then he left, peeling off in a cloud of smoke and I wondered if that'd be the last time I ever saw him again.

Jasper and Emmett climbed into the mom-mobile and I followed Edward and Ben to the SUV, scooting in the backseat with Edward as Ben slid behind the wheel. We didn't say much to one another on our way through the winding, tree-lined roads on the way to that rickety hunting cabin, simply enjoying the feeling of being wrapped around one another. I savored every moment, every sweet kiss, the taste of his lips. I cherished the way his hand found it's way to my belly, as he ran his fingers lovingly over my skin. In no time we'd pulled up on that dirt road and were leaving the warm confines of the vehicle, trudging through the woods to that cabin, Jasper, Emmett and Ben by our sides. A flood of terrifying memories overcame me as I heard the sounds of the babbling creek in the distance and saw the outline of the cabin, a silhouette in the moonlight. Edward squeezed me tightly to his side, reassuringly.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw in that cabin. They had James tied to that same fucking bed that he beat, choked and raped me on. He wore ripped, blood stained clothing, his wrists and ankles rubbed free from his hide as he'd struggled to escape. His face was so swollen he was barely recognizable. The jeans he wore were partly worked down his hips and I gagged and covered my mouth at the open flesh that was once his crotch. Carlisle stood over him, looking unapologetic as he held a bloody pair of cutting pliers.

"There's my future daughter-in-law!" he said brightly, turning around with a huge, unfamiliar smile as we entered the cabin. He looked slightly maniacal, his face spotted with blood as he grinned at me, his white teeth sparkling in the dimness of the cabin. Sam sat on a wooden chair and shot me a relieved looking smile upon seeing me. A far less amount of blood covered him, indicating that he'd left all the fun for Carlisle.

"Carlisle," I greeted him, clutching Edward's hand tightly as James turned his head at the sound of my voice. His cold blue eyes widened at the sight of me and he began to struggle against the ropes.

"Bella wants to end this for good, father," I heard Edward explain as I stared down at what was left of the man I was once terrified of. Edward and Carlisle spoke quietly to one another for a moment as my eyes trained around the familiar looking room, landing directly on what I needed to extinguish the past.

"Can y'all leave me alone for a second?" I requested, receiving an uncertain glare from my fiancé.

Carlisle whispered to him reassuringly, explaining that there was no way for James to escape and to allow me to finish things the way I wanted. I shot him a grateful smile as everyone left the room, looking uneasy as they gave me a last glance. I only had one thing to say to James, who stared up at me silently from that horrible bed.

"I hope you burn in hell for all eternity for the things that you've done to me and for the things that you've done to others. But, I'm not the one who can pass that judgment. That's in God's hands. And since I won't be there to watch you in that lake of fire, I guess I'll just watch you burn in this life," I told him quietly before strolling near the kitchen area, bending over and picking up a red jug that I'd spotted earlier.

He began sputtering and coughing, blood pouring out of his mouth as I gave him one last look, taking my jug with me as I stepped out into the night. The men watched me carefully as I walked around the tiny cabin, dousing the walls with gasoline and tossing the empty jug through the still open door. Removing Jasper's gun from my deep pocked, I cocked it and fired at the gas-soaked building, smiling as the walls slowly erupted in flames.

"Let's go home, baby," Edward whispered, pulling me close to my side.

"Home. Where's that?" I mumbled as he pulled me away from the burning building, the sounds of a screaming man and crackling fire filling the night air.

"Anywhere we're together," he replied, pressing a kiss to my temple. "You, me, and our baby."

**A/N:** Are you glad James is dead? What did you think about the chapter? I'm thinking Bella deserves a couple of happy chapters before I end the story, don't you? Reviewers get gifts from Santa =)


	25. Chapter 25: What?

_Previously, in Chapter Twenty-four..._

_"Let's go home, baby," Edward whispered, pulling me close to my side._

_"Home. Where's that?" I mumbled as he pulled me away from the burning building, the sounds of a screaming man and crackling fire filling the night air._

_"Anywhere we're together," he replied, pressing a kiss to my temple. "You, me, and our baby."_

**Chapter Twenty-Five: What The...What?**

It was well into the night before we actually hit Highway 78 to Memphis. We followed Jasper and Emmett in the Taurus back to the cabin where Edward, Carlisle, Sam and Ben waited patiently to gather the meager belongings that we'd acquired during our time there. Edward sighed heavily as I pattered around the cabin, cleaning up any mess that we'd made, feeling somewhat guilty over the prospect of the cabin's owners coming home to find a mess. I wondered briefly who the owner of the cabin was. Did Garrett simply find an abandoned cabin for us to stash away in...or did the cabin belong to Garrett himself? There were no personal belongings in the cabin. I never found any photographs or letters, besides the one he left me wrapped around that wine bottle. Chewing on my bottom lip, with Edward and the others lingering on the lower level, I dug around in the old roll top desk in my room finding an ink pen. Shoving one hand under my mattress, I removed the note I'd stuffed there, the note from Garrett. Flipping it over, I scratched him a quick message, leaving the note behind in the cedar chest in which I found it.

_Dear Garrett,_

_I'm not sure if this message will reach you, but I hope it does. I'm sorry for what Jasper and Edward did to you tonight. I can only hope they didn't hurt you too badly. Knowing Jasper, he will easily forgive you for helping me out. Edward's not as easy to forgive, but maybe one day he'll let bygones be bygones and you and I may be friends. Thank you for trying, Garrett, and I hope you find true happiness with someone someday._

_Sincerely,_

_Bella_

I took only the clothes I left Memphis in, somehow feeling guilty over the idea of leaving with the things that Garrett bought me himself. Leaving everything the way it was, the shower gel in the shower, the ruined yellow ducky slippers in the bottom of the closet, I left my borrowed bedroom, pausing long enough to slip into the bathroom. There sat my three pregnancy tests, lined up along the counter. Snatching them up, I shoved them in my pocket, wondering if it made me a strange person for wanting to hold on the urine soaked tests as a keepsake. Slipping downstairs, I met Edward waiting patiently near the fireplace, his copper-colored hair in it's usual state of distress. One arm remained in the sling and the other was frantically rubbing at his forehead, only looking slightly at ease as I smiled and walked over to him, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

"God, I've missed you," he whispered, pulling me close with his free arm. He glanced down at me in confusion as the hard, plastic pregnancy tests poked at him from my pocket. I removed them, holding them up for him to look at sheepishly.

"I've already talked to an obstetrician," he admitted, glancing at the tests in my hands before I shoved them back in my pockets. "She's the best in Memphis. She'll clear her calendar for us as soon as we get settled back in at home." His words didn't surprise me. I knew Edward would find only the best doctor to tend to his future child. How I ever wondered how he'd feel about me being pregnant was beyond me.

"Things won't be as stressful for you now," he muttered, his pine-green eyes growing menacing with his thoughts. "Now that we're rid of that son of a bitch, James. He's lucky I left Carlisle at his hands while I searched for you. If not, he'd died a slower, torturous death."

"Is there a worse fate than burning to death after having your genitals removed?" a silky voice asked. I turned to watch my future father in law walk up beside us, wrapping one arm around my waist and giving me a squeeze. My body stiffened, unfamiliar with the new and improved Carlisle Cullen, and I wondered if his attitude was a sudden change from that day in the hospital, or if he'd slowly begun to warm up to me the further away from him I was. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and that certainly seemed to be the case when it came to Carlisle Cullen.

"Burning to death is my greatest fear," I confessed as Carlisle released me from his grasp, strolling to the kitchen area where his glass of whiskey sat. He took a swig, humming in agreement as I continued. "Maybe that's why I wanted him to burn...because to me there is no worse fate."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about anymore, dear," Carlisle replied, after taking another pull and setting his glass down on the counter. "The Black family no longer exists, except for Billy, or what's left on him in that nursing home. James is dead. You have nothing to concern yourself with now, Bella. Just sit back and let Esme and Alice pamper you from head to toe for the next few months."

"What about Leah?" I asked, watching as Edward smirked, a cocky grin on his face. "Is she still on the run or did y'all find her too?"

"We didn't find her, the police did," Edward laughed, he and Carlisle exchanging matching grins. "Leah was wanted in Georgia for a murder that took place some time ago. Jasper suggested she'd crawl back home to some of her old militia buddies. It didn't take too much persuasion from the police in Tennessee to work with the ones in Georgia to track her down." I thought I heard Edward mutter the word 'Lola' as he took a sip of his own whiskey, but I couldn't be sure. My shoulders physically slumped in relief after learning Leah was in jail

Emmett trumped downstairs, whistling happily at the prospect of going home, grabbing arm loads of the bags he purchased from the hunting supply store. He ignored the curious look Edward shot him as he walked outside, tossing the items in the trunk of Edward's SUV. Sam gave me a small hug, under the watchful gaze of my fiancé who lingered nearby. I'd missed Sam so much. Tears sprang to my eyes as I ignored his hesitant hug and grabbed him tightly, squeezing him until he winced in pain. Edward cleared his throat and I released Sam, giving Edward a glare so intense that he dropped his head. Ben received a hug as well, although not as severe, considering Sam was once my personal bodyguard and we were much closer friends.

Jasper was extremely quiet as he helped us load the vehicle, looking pensive and not wearing his usually calm, carefree smile. I wondered if had anything to do with seeing Alice after all this time. Was he worried that she was angry with him for leaving her in Memphis with no word about where we were going? Was he worried that she'd moved on, since their relationship was so new, so young? There was no doubt in my mind that Alice wasn't sitting someone right now tapping her foot impatiently, waiting on her man to return home.

As we piled into the large SUV, I scooted closely to Edward, sitting on his good side, tangling myself into his warm embrace. He still smelled the same; like jasmine, peppermint and incense. I breathed him in, leaning forward to peck at the tender flesh of his neck, my long hair casting a curtain of privacy around us in the back seat.

"Baby, if you don't stop doing that, I'm gonna have to take you right in, with all these people in the car listening to you moan," he whispered, sending chills across my body, the flesh of my arms erupting in goose bumps. I continued to nibble away as his hand slid near the heat between my jeans and paused there.

"Does it make me less of a man to admit I'm terrified to touch my pregnant fiancé?" he whispered, his cheeks slightly red.

"Baby, there is nothing that could make you less of a man," I whispered back, reaching down and stroking his rock hard erection with my hand. A pained expression crossed his face as I stroked him up and down over the fabric of his pants, his breathing turning labored as he tried to keep a neutral face. Unfortunately, my brother was sitting in the seat directly in front of us.

"Is there a vomit bag in this ride? Cause I'm about to barf all over the damn place," Emmett muttered, the backs of his ears red. Carlisle chuckled beside him, but looked slightly uncomfortable with our display of affection. Pouting, I pulled away from him slightly, chewing on my bottom lip, watching his handsome face as he smiled down at me coyly.

"We'll have plenty of time for that later, baby," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my temple. "I'd like to wait until you see the doctor first. Call me irrational, but I really think you should be checked out first. I know nothing about pregnancy."

"Maybe we can talk to Esme about it," I suggested, my cheeks blushing slightly over the idea of talking to Edward's mother about pregnant sex. He laughed quietly at the expression on my face, shaking his head in amusement.

"When she finds out you're pregnant...I don't think you'll get a word in edge-wise," he muttered, a crooked smile on his handsome face.

His words made me pause before giving him a confused frown. "Wait, you didn't tell Esme that I'm pregnant?" I asked, watching as he shook his head. "What about Alice? Carmen? Tia? Rose? Does anyone know?"

"When the investigator saw what you purchased he immediately called Carlisle who called me in turn. After I spoke to you and you confirmed that the tests were positive...I wanted nothing more than to shout it to the world," he confessed, his green eyes glowing in the dim vehicle. "But after speaking to Carlisle, we chose to keep is a secret between me, him, Sam and Ben. He...didn't want Esme and Alice to worry more than they already were. He also mentioned that many women don't announce their pregnancy until after the first trimester..."

I thought about his words carefully, nodding my head thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone about the baby until we're sure everything is okay with her." My hand drifted to my belly by its own free will. Edward glanced down at the action, his eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"Her?" he asked, tilting his head as he stared into my eyes. "What makes you think it's a girl? What if the baby is a boy?"

"It's not," I whispered, giving him a serene smile as the vision of my little auburn-haired girl flashed through my mind. "She's a girl. I've already seen her in my dreams." He shook his head in bemusement, chuckling quietly to himself as he glanced away from my eyes and stared through the dark window beside him, his good arm resting on my knee.

I knew the moment we entered Memphis. The girls were still working the streets, wearing their tattered and skimpy clothes beneath their simple, slightly dirty coats. The hot pink neon lights of a strip club flashed by, the neon outline of a naked woman lounging on her back, kicking her legs up in the air above her. Flashing blue lights reflected off the silver rims of cars the police pulled over, men thrown across the hood being frisked. On old man wearing a long coat stepped out of a blue's club, his head hidden under the old brown fedora hat he wore. He popped the trunk of an old Buick and gently placed his guitar case inside, patting it tenderly against it's hard surface before slamming the trunk. I wondered briefly why we headed into Memphis instead of Germantown, but exhaustion took over my body and I drifted to sleep, my face resting against Edward's shoulder.

I woke up sometime later to Edward gently shaking my arm as I quietly drooled on his shoulder. Glancing around through bleary eyes, I noticed the familiar sight around me. It wasn't as bright, and it was slightly abandoned being a weeknight, but Beale Street was one place I could never forget.

"We're staying the loft...until I figure out a new house for us to stay in," Edward quietly explained as I glanced around in confusion. We were alone except for Sam, who opened the door and stood patiently waiting on me, a small smile on his tanned face.

"Where's everyone at?" I asked, sliding from the vehicle with Sam's assistance. Edward followed me, wrapping his uninjured arm around my waist as Sam shut the SUV door and escorted us down the empty street towards Edward's loft.

"They went back our house," he explained, unlocking the front door of the club and nodding his head at Sam who gave us a quiet goodbye as he walked down the street, his hands casually pressed in his pants as he walked with his head held high, glancing at his surroundings occasionally. "I didn't think you'd want to stay at the house anymore, after all the things that happened there."

"Edward," I sighed, shaking my head as he guided me through the deserted club, entering the stairway and slowly walking up the stairs. "That's your home, our home. If we leave, if we let those ghosts run us off, it's like they won. And I'm so tired of running, baby." We stopped at the top of the stairs and he gazed down at me for a moment, his face a mask of seriousness before he unlocked the loft door.

"I guess I didn't think about from that perspective," he murmured as we entered the loft, his soft lamps casting a gentle glow across the room. He turned, cupping my face with his hand, staring deeply into my eyes, and said, "Bella, if you really want to return to that house, we'll return to the house. It honestly doesn't bother me, but I did think it would bother you."

"I'm not running from the only home I've really ever had," I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. He smiled in response, pulling me to the bed where he slowly stripped me down to my underwear, pressing soft kisses to my belly, so delicate and loving that I swallowed the lump of emotion that formed in my throat. Edward glanced up at me, smiling tenderly as he pressed his face against my stomach, taking a deep breath and humming in happiness. We eventually slid into bed, our arms and legs tangled around one another as we drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

We awoke hours later to an insistent pounding at the loft door. Old habits die hard as we both shot up in the bed, Edward pulling a loaded gun from somewhere nearby. We'd have to do something about the gun situation once the baby was here.

"I know you're in there!" a tiny, muffled voice called as the pounding continued. "I stayed away as long as I could! Open the door!"

Edward grumbled, shoving the gun back under his mattress as he slid from the bed in his boxers. I scampered around, grabbing one of his wonderful smelling t-shirts and a pair of boxers, slipping them on and rolling up the waist. He continued to mutter to himself as he shoved his legs into some jeans and threw on a t-shirt as well. After one last glance to make sure I was decent, he strolled casually to the door where the pounding and hollering continued, heaving a sigh as he ran his fingers through his sexy, disheveled hair. He opened the door and in popped a red-faced Alice with Rose following closely behind.

"Took you long enough," Alice snapped at her brother, turning to me with a huge grin on her face as she darted across the room, throwing her arms around me as I gasped. Edward jerked at the action, glaring at Alice before casting a worried glance at my belly. I rolled my eyes at him, hugging Alice tightly before she finally released me. Rose had a pastry box and a cup holder with four cups in her hands. She set them on the kitchen table and breezed across the room, pulling me into her arms and giving me a gentle squeeze.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she confessed, pulling back and glancing over my face. "Although I'm slightly pissed at Jasper and Emmett for running off with you the way they did, not even letting us know if y'all were alright. We've been so worried. Esme is an emotional wreck, but she decided to stop by later. She said we should leave you and Edward alone, but we couldn't stay away."

"I'm glad you came by," I told them honesty, ignoring a grumbling Edward who stood near the cups of coffee sniffing around. "What's in the box?" I asked as my stomach loudly growled, much to my embarrassment. They laughed at my red face and announced they brought donuts. We shuffled to the table and pigged out on the donuts as Alice went into great detail about her reunion with Jasper. Edward gagged, eventually excusing himself from the room as he went to take a shower, leaving us giggling behind him.

"It was great," Alice sighed, a dreamy look on her face as she picked at the donut before a shadow of doubt crossed her delicate features. "But then...it wasn't."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously, abandoning the coffee for a glass of milk. I added an abundance of chocolate syrup, swirling it around in the glass with a spoon and taking a deep drink as I moaned. Ahhh, that was good! They looked at me strangely and I shrugged, rejoining them at the table.

"He's going home," Alice said sadly, causing me to freeze with the glass of chocolate mouth pressed against my lips. "He took a leave of absence from his job when he came up here, but time is running out soon. If they hadn't found James when they did...I guess he'd have quit to stay here and watch over you. But now James is dead and Jasper's going back to Mississippi."

"Oh, Alice," I murmured, reaching out to pat her tiny hand as her eyes swelled up with tears. "Jasper...Jasper's in love with you. He won't stay gone for long."

"I know," she said quietly, abandoning the donut and wiping her sticky fingers on a tiny napkin. "He said he's transferring from Jackson to Memphis, but it could take months. How far is Memphis from Jackson?"

"About five hours," I admitted, placing my empty glass on the table, suddenly feeling quite sick as a wave of nausea washed over me. "Give or take." Alice opened her mouth to say something in response, but stopped as she took in the look on my face. Breaking into a cold sweat, I began to gag, covering my mouth with my hand, jumping up from the table and knocking the chair over in the process. Edward was still in the shower, so I ran into the kitchen, grabbing the garbage can from beneath the sink and vomiting violently into it.

"Oh, my God!" Alice shrieked as she and Rose ran over to check on me. "Are you okay?" I nodded, choosing not to speak as I gasped for breath. Being sick always gave me the feeling of breathlessness. Alice filled a glass with water from the tap and handed it to me, watching carefully as I swished the liquid in my mouth before spitting it, humiliated, in the sink several times. She rinsed the sink out, her face pinched in worry as she continued to stare at me.

"What's going on?" I heard Edward say, darting into the room. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of jeans, slung low on his hips, droplets of water still clinging on his chest. The sling was gone, but a large bandage clung to his body in it's place. He continued to carried his sore arm close to his body, as though the sling were still in place.

"Nothing, I just got a little sick," I mumbled, my face turning red as he hovered over me, glancing at me up and down like a mother hen. He grabbed the box of donuts from the table, demanding to know where Alice bought them and proceeded to act like a maniac, throwing the entire remains of donuts in the trash and demanding I put on some clothes so he could take me to the emergency room. He obviously knew nothing about pregnant women or morning sickness.

I agreed to go to the hospital, giving Alice and Rose a watery smile. As they left, casting one last doubtful look at me as they pulled the door behind them I dropped my smile and traded it for a scowl.

"Edward," I hissed as he ran around the room in search of his shirt and his stupid sling. He paused for a moment, picking up on the angry tone in my voice. "I'm pregnant. I have morning sickness. It's normal, Edward. You can't run around like a crazy person every time I throw up."

"I'm either taking you to the hospital or to the obstetrician. End of discussion," he muttered, completely ignoring me as he carefully pulled on a button-up shirt. "Where's my phone? I'm sure I can get her to clear her schedule..." He began mumbling to himself, ignoring me as I rolled my eyes and huffed, grabbing a pair of jeans, a shirt and my underwear, disappearing into the bathroom to take a shower. When I returned to the room Edward was pacing around impatiently, talking frantically into his cell phone, a scowl on his face. He ended the call and gave me a forced smile.

"So, apparently people don't like to work the day after Christmas," he sighed, shoving his phone in his pocket. "But she's making an exception, considering I already made her well aware of your circumstances. She's concerned about your nutrition, or lack of while on the run and the stress you've been under. She's meeting us at her office to run the tests herself."

I rolled my eyes, braiding my wet hair into a long, loose braid as I finished getting ready. Of course he talked the poor woman into abandoning her family the day after Christmas to check on his fiancé, who simply had a bout of morning sickness. Sam met us on the corner, yawning tiredly with sleepy eyes from lack of rest from the night before. It was well into the afternoon, and Edward's irrationality over my health and the fact that I hadn't had a good night's rest in a very long time really began to irritate me.

We arrived at a very fancy clinic minutes later. The outside was a gray stone with pretty hedges placed intricately around the sides. There was a curling walkway from the parking lot and Edward clutched my cold hand with his sweaty one as we climbed the walkway, avoiding my eyes as I surveyed his nervousness. It would be cute if he weren't so annoyingly overprotective, practically carrying me to the front of the building as his eyes darted the ground for any invisible obstacle that could cause me injury. We entered the warm building and I stood anxiously as Edward met the good doctor who waited patiently at the front desk with a smile, an empty chart with an orange sticker that read 'VIP' sitting in front of her on the desk.

She stood and shook his hand and they spoke quietly to one another as I stood awkwardly nearby, wrapping my arms around my torso. She vanished momentarily, before sliding through an open door and shaking my hand warmly. Her name was Dr. Marcy and she was a pretty woman in her late forties with soft brown hair, matching eyes and a gentle smile. The woman didn't look a bit put out by our impromptu visit as she handed me a clipboard wit ha pen and a stack of papers, instructing me to fill it out to the best of my knowledge. Edward joined me in the lobby as I chewed on the pen cap and turned red, jotting down the date of the last period that I could actually remember. Edward whispered his family's health information, his eyes darting around the empty room nervously, a parenting magazine clutched in his pale hands. The doctor escorted us out of the lobby and into a wide hallway leading to the back of the building as soon as I finished the paperwork, placing her hand on the small of my back with a smile.

"Edward, you can sit in the examination room and wait on Bella," she instructed, gesturing to a room nearby, the door wide open. He glanced at me hesitantly and I nodded, watching him shuffle uneasily into the room, sitting in a chair near the doorway peeking out at me where I stood in the hall. The doctor chuckled, leading me to scale where she weighed me and recorded my height. Then she led me to a station covered with various forms of torture devices strewn across the surface.

"I need to draw some blood," she told me gently, gesturing for me to sit on a small chair. I did as she asked, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths as quietly talked me through the process, explaining when she was about to prick me with the needle and drawing the amount of blood she needed for the various vials. After that, she placed a clear specimen cup in my hand, explaining that she needed a urine sample as well. I went into the nearby bathroom, awkwardly urinating in the small cup, reminding me of the time I peed on three pregnancy tests. After washing up, I emerged from the bathroom, handing her the cup as she gave me another soft smile, leading me into the room where Edward sat anxiously.

"There's a gown and a drape there on the end of examination table, Bella," she told me, gesturing to a cushioned examining table covered in thin paper. "There's a small room here where you can slip out of your clothes and put the gown on, dear. I prefer you wear it with the ties in the front, instead of the back, sweetie." I nodded as she gestured to a door in the examining room, slipping inside after casting Edward one last glance. He wasn't paying attention to me, his wide eyes staring up at a poster placed in an expensive frame on the wall, displaying the inside of woman's womb with multiple stages of fetal growth.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped as I saw him swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing and his face growing paler as I shut the door behind me. The room was tiny, with a full-length mirror on one side and a padded bench on the other. There was a small garbage pail sitting on the floor and the bench held a basket of wet wipes and panty liners. I chucked my clothes off, quickly slipping the gown on the with opening in the front, nervously tying it up with the small, green strings. Walking back into the examining room, I met Edward's anxious eyes as he shot up from the chair, helping me on the table.

"Mr. Cullen, I need to perform a pap smear on Bella. Maybe you'd be more comfortable waiting outside for a bit..." she suggested, meeting Edward's wide eyes. He nodded dumbly, giving my knee a gentle squeeze as he shuffled quietly out of the room. The doctor gave me a knowing grin as I shook my head in wonder.

"First time fathers," she explained, taking my vital signs and instructing me to lay back as she gave me a breast exam. "They all act the same. Nervous. Excited. But mostly nervous." We both shared a laugh, the woman making me feel very comfortable as she explained what all she was looking for during the pelvic exam and pap smear. After she finished the examination, she gave me a bright smile, washing her hands again and drying them on the paper towels that she tossed in the garbage.

"Bella, from the size of your uterus and the information you gave me about your last period, I'd estimate that you're around ten weeks pregnant," she told me, leaning against the counter near the sink as she watched my face draw up in confusion.

"But, that's impossible," I muttered, tugging on my loose braid, twisting it at the end. "I used birth control when Edward and I first became intimate. I admit, I became...forgetful...the past month or so, but there's no way I'm that far along."

The doctor gave me a worried frown, glancing at the door briefly before asking me quietly, "This is inappropriate of me to ask, but is there anyone else that you were intimate with around that time?"

"No," I told the woman, frowning at the thought as she continued to stare at me worriedly, a familiar look on her face.

"I have a history of rape," I told her in a quiet voice, answering her unspoken questions. A doctor once told me that there would be internal scaring that a thorough physician would easily detect, which she obviously had. "But that was several years ago. Edward is the only man I've ever been with."

Dr. Marcy visibly relaxed, patting me on my knee in a motherly manner. "Sometimes these things just happen, sweetie. Birth control isn't always fool-proof. I'd say you probably became pregnant right around Halloween." Halloween? That was the first time Edward and I made love. Shaking my head, I chuckled quietly to myself at the irony of the situation. Dr. Marcy didn't question my laugh, only asking if I'd like Edward to come back into the room.

I nodded thoughtfully, and she stood from her stool, opening the door and calling him into the room. He didn't have far to travel, since he was pacing back and forth by the door. He darted in, immediately hammering the poor woman with questions about my health and the baby's health before Dr. Marcy instructed him to sit down.

"Would you like to hear your child's heartbeat?" Dr. Marcy asked us as we glanced wide-eyed at one another. I nodded quickly, the thought of hearing my baby's heart sending a thrill of excitement through my body. Dr. Marcy instructed me to lay back as she pulled the drape over my body, hitching my gown up only high enough to expose my abdomen. She squirted something cold and wet on my belly, and flipped the switch on a machine that stood nearby, pressing something metallic against my skin in the exact spot where our baby rested. A loud, strange swooshing sound filled the room as the doctor gave Edward and I a peculiar look.

"Oh, dear," she muttered, moving the wand around my belly, repositioning it this way and that. A muffled sound filled the room before the frantic swooshing began again, kicking up a notch in double-time.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, clutching my hand as he stared up at the doctor's face. She bit the corner of her painted red lip, glancing between our two distressed faces as she repositioned the wand yet again.

"I guess you need to buy two of everything, because from what I hear, there's two heartbeats in there," she told us with a small smile.

"Two of everything?" I muttered, the blood draining from my face. "Twins? What the...what?"

Edward's grip on my hand loosened as the word 'twins' slipped from my lips. His handsome face grew even paler and his mouth opened and closed. Edward tried to say something, but the words never came out of his mouth as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The good doctor and I yelped in horror as he slid from the chair, effectively fainting on the clinic floor.

**A/N:** The physician typically adds two weeks automatically to a woman's due date, so technically Bella is about eight weeks pregnant, just to clear things up when folks start leaving me reviews about the conception date :) Jasper's leaving town and poor Edward can shoot a man without regret but faints when he hears Bella's having twins...Bella's having twins? Maybe the doctor is just picking up on her heartbeat as well. What do you think? :)

I've been working on my second fic and my RL Carmen already confessed that it's better than_ Breakaway Bella_. I'm gonna post the first chapter the same day I post the epilogue to _Breakaway Bella_, so if you'd like to continue following the strange path my brain sometimes takes, put me on author alert. I'd also like to get all fancy-pants and have a banner made, so if any of y'all are good with stuff like that (I tried and I suck) send me a PM :)

Peace and love,

Jhood


	26. Chapter 26: New Year's, Cullen Style

**Fic Rec: Barefoot in Texas** by **Planetblue**. This is an awesome WIP that has me sucked in. Check it out; you'll be glad you did :)

_Previously, in Chapter Twenty-five..._

_"I guess you need to buy two of everything, because from what I hear, there's two heartbeats in there," she told us with a small smile._

_"Two of everything?" I muttered, the blood draining from my face. "Twins? What the...what?"_

_Edward's grip on my hand loosened as the word 'twins' slipped from my lips. His handsome face grew even paler and his mouth opened and closed. Edward tried to say something, but the words never came out of his mouth as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The good doctor and I yelped in horror as he slid from the chair, effectively fainting on the clinic floor._

**Chapter Twenty-Six: New Year's, Cullen Style**

The first hour after Edward fainted on the clinic floor was hectic and horrifying. As he slid to the floor he slammed his head on the metal step situated on the bottom of the examination table where I sat screaming. He lay on the floor, unresponsive, as Dr. Marcy shook him, yelling his name. She removed a penlight from her deep, white lab coat pocket, pulling his eyelids open and shining the light into his eyes. Edward never made a peep. Dr. Marcy pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called 911 while I stumbled off the examination table, landing on my sock feet at Edward's side crying his name as I shook his arm. There was no blood, thank God, but he had a huge goose-egg near the back of his head that slowly began to swell. The paramedics arrived and loaded him on a stretcher while I shuffled around in the small, adjoining room, shoving my clothes on haphazardly. I followed them to the hospital in Edward's car, chewing my nails down the entire time.

The second hour after Edward's fall was nerve-racking. I sat in a tiny room in the ER waiting for him to return from his CAT scan. The doctor, Dr. Glover, walked in chatting about concussions and temporary memory loss. I stared up at the tall, man in horror, his black hair graying at the temples. He had a no-nonsense attitude that I appreciated as he assured me that he didn't believe Edward would have any long-term effects from the fall. I slumped in the uncomfortable plastic chair in relief as Dr. Glover nodded his head and shuffled from the room. The nurse entered soon after, placing a plastic bag full of Edward's belongings near the small sink in the room, explaining that they emptied his pockets before performing the CAT scan. Distracted, I nodded, asking how long it'd be before he came back to the room, the nurse assuring me he was on his way.

The following hours after Edward's fall were...irritating. Edward returned, pushed into the room by a man and woman dressed in maroon colored scrubs. He laid on the hospital bed as I hovered over him, my eyes full of worried tears as I chewed on my bottom lip. His eyelids would flutter occasionally, and he glanced up at me from time to time. Then he began muttering about barbeque sandwiches and a nine millimeter glock, causing me to scowl and fall back into place in the stupid plastic chair, glaring at him. How in the hell this man could think about food and guns at a time like this was beyond me, but I told myself that he couldn't help it. He did have a head injury after all.

Dr. Glover returned sometime later, confirming that all Edward's tests were negative for any long-term complications. I sighed in relief as he told me with a serious face that I needed to wake him throughout the entire night, explaining how to do simple neurological checks. As he left the room, the stress of the past few days slammed me, and I tittered on my feet where I stood near Edward, clutching his cool hand. Stumbling to the plastic chair, I sat down, rubbing my temples and yawning tiredly as I leaned back and closed my eyes, promising myself I would simply rest for a moment as I waited for Dr. Glover to return with Edward's discharge papers. Before long I drifted to sleep, only to awaken to the most irritating thing I'd ever heard.

_"As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death_

_I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left_

_Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long that_

_Even my mama thinks that my mind is gone."_

"What the hell?" I moaned, raising my head from where it slumped against the wall, glancing through hazy eyes at the room in front of me. At first I was slightly confused about where I was, but one glance at a restless Edward, still laying on the hospital bed but now wiggling around, told me exactly where I was. I was still in that stupid hospital.

_"But I ain't never crossed a man_

_That didn't deserve it_

_Me be treated like a punk you_

_Know that's unheard of_

_You better watch how you're talkin' and where you're walkin'_

_Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk."_

I stood up, glancing around the room for the source of the muffled, aggravating music, if you could even call it that. My right hand twitched, my fingers drawn in towards my palm, the urge for a cool, metal gun overwhelming. I imagined blasting the source of the music that temporarily stopped as I froze near the head of Edward's bed. That's when he awoke and gazed up at me.

"Hey, baby," he whispered, shooting me a sexy grin. I raised one eyebrow at the expression on his face as his eyes traveled down my body. My braid hung limply from my head and I'm sure there were probably bags under my exhausted eyes. My clothes looked wrinkled and in disarray from falling asleep in the chair. Edward didn't seem to notice though as he gave me a hungry look.

"You're the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen," he purred, before glancing down at where he lay in the hospital bed in confusion. His forehead wrinkled as he peered back up at me. "Where in the hell are we?" Sighing, I opened my mouth to respond but something annoying interrupted me.

_"I really hate to trip but I gotta loc_

_As I grow I see myself in the pistol smoke, fool_

_I'm the kind G the little homies wanna be like_

_On my knees in the night sayin' prayers in the streetlight_

_Been spendin' most their lives,_

_Living in the gansta's paradise_

_Been spending most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise."_

"What is that?" I growled, turning on my heel as I glared in any direction the source of music seemed to come from. It was muffled, but somewhere nearby and I heard Edward clear his throat behind me. I turned and gave him a questioning look.

"That's my cell phone," he admitted, looking quite sheepish. "Emmett programmed that song as my default ringtone a while back, before y'all disappeared."

"Well, why didn't you change it back? That's the most annoying thing I've ever heard!" I snapped, stepping over to where the nurse placed the plastic bag. Shoving my hand inside, I removed Edward's wallet and cell phone, glaring down at the cell phone in animosity.

"I didn't change it back because...I kinda like it," Edward admitted, looking slightly ashamed as I stared at him.

"Well, that's the dumbest song I've ever heard. Who is that anyway?"

"Collio," he replied looking slightly surprised when I shook my head and shrugged in confusion. "You don't remember that song? They played it on the radio over and over..."

"When was that, Edward?" I asked, handing him the silver phone.

"Uh, hell, I don't know," he mused, looking slightly thoughtful before scrolling through the phone. "Maybe ninety-five...ninety-six..."

"Edward...I was five in ninety-five," I said, rolling my eyes and huffing as he glanced up at me. "I'm not old like you."

His eyes narrowed as he glared up at me. "Why are you acting so bitchy?" he seethed. "I'm the one laying in the hospital bed with a pounding headache. Looks like you'd be a little more sympathetic..."

That's when I snapped.

"Did you just call me a bitch?" I hissed, my face turning red as we glowered evenly at one another.

"No, I said you were acting bitchy. I'd never call you a bitch," he spat back, clutching the phone so tight I thought it'd break in his white-knuckled hand.

"Let me tell you something," I told him in a low, serious voice, pointing my finger right in his stupid, handsome face, marked with a scowl. "In less than three months I've been attacked in a grocery store, and chased down by a stranger, who I fell head over heels in love with. I was nearly kidnapped in a dark alley in the middle of the night before I fucking _murdered_ a man. My freaking stalker pulled me in a hallway and _fondled_ me! I got drunk off Yager and fought your ex-girlfriend in my workplace like some white-trash country music video. I got engaged to a man I knew less than two months. During Thanksgiving your father humiliated and degraded me in front of both our families. I watched you bleeding on the dining room table after a group of thugs broke into the house and shot you. Oh, and I murdered yet _another_ person_ in _said house. My cousin and brother took me against my will to hide out in a cabin in the middle of Nowhere, Mississippi. Am I leaving anything out? Oh, yeah! I burned a man to death after your father tied him to a bed and removed his genitals with a pair of plier thingies. And let's not forget that I've had about four hours of sleep in the past two days and just found out that I'm not only pregnant, but pregnant with twins. And then I've sat in the emergency room for hours on end worrying that something was wrong with that stupid head of yours with Collio playing in the background like the soundtrack to my fucked up life. But you think I'm acting like a bitch? I'm still standing here after all that. I'm not the one who passed out on the clinic floor. Who's the little bitch now?"

My hormones were raging. I was tired and pissed off that he had the audacity to claim I was acting like a bitch. His face was blood-red and he was breathing hard, his eyes darting just past my shoulder, pissing me off because of his distraction from the speech I'd given him. I leaned down close to him during my spill, my face just as red, breathing just as hard, my nostrils flaring. Someone behind me cleared their throat. With wide-eyes, I turned and met the serious face of Dr. Glover, who stood nearby clutching a handful of papers. The expression on his face told me exactly what I needed to know; that he heard everything I'd just said. I swallowed dryly as he handed me the paperwork. The look passed from my face as he chose to ignore my confessions of mayhem and murder.

"Mrs. Cullen, Edward, here's everything you need to know about aftercare," he explained smoothly, pointing at the instructions on the papers. "He can take over the counter medication for the pain and swelling. I have the type listed right there. The instructions I explained to you on waking him during the night are printed there as well. There's no reason for a follow-up appointment with a physician unless you notice any of the symptoms listed on the paperwork. If you do notice any of the symptoms, please call his routine physician or 911 immediately. Do you have any questions Mrs. Cullen...Edward?"

"Swan," I told him distractedly, glancing over the printed words on the papers. "I mean, my name is Bella Swan, not Bella Cullen. We're not married yet." I glanced up at him, slightly embarrassed that I'd corrected him. Edward was right; I was acting a little bitchy.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Swan," he apologized, glancing hesitantly over my shoulder where a silent Edward lay. "When Mr. Cullen came back for his follow-up appointment after being shot, he named you as his spouse...I'm sorry for the confusion." He gave me a soft smile, explained that the nurse would return with a wheelchair and we'd be free to leave. A lump formed in my throat at his words, and I nodded at the doctor as he exited the room before I turned to Edward who stared stubbornly at the wall, a look of irritation on his face. Edward looked like a damn war victim with his sling on his left arm, the side of his head swollen and his pale skin. I felt like a giant piece of shit.

"I'm sorry baby!" I babbled, covering my face with my hands as I began to cry, becoming and emotional mess. "You're right. I'm a total bitch! I'm just so stressed out!" Sobbing harder, I sat on the plastic chair, leaning down and effectively falling apart. I heard the bed creak below him as he swung his legs over and slowly stood up, shuffling over to where I sat. He stooped down, pulling my hands from my face and staring up at me intently. I gazed at him with sad, tear-filled eyes, shameful of the way I'd behaved.

"No, I'm sorry," he sighed, wiping the tears from my face as his green eyes stared up at me in remorse. "I shouldn't have said that. When I heard the doctor say...'twins'...I don't know what happened. One minute I'm sitting there listening to the heartbeat and the next minute I'm laying on a hospital bed. I'm so fucking worried about being a good enough father for one child...the thought of being that man for_ two_ children just overwhelmed me. Bella, I've never been so happy, yet so terrified at the same time."

"Edward, how do you think I feel?" I asked, sniffing as he gazed up at me. "Don't you think I feel the same way? I didn't have a good raising. My mother died when I was very young...I don't know anything about being a mother, but don't you think everyone feels this way when they find out they're pregnant? We're supposed to be scared of making mistakes. It wouldn't be normal for us to not worry about messing up." He stared at me for a long time, a sense of understanding passing between the two of us. We were in this together, sharing the same concerns and the same worries. He nodded his head, kissing me gently on the lips just as the nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. We left the emergency room and headed home, not to the loft but to our real home, in Germantown.

The next few days were exhausting. Edward barely slept after we got home that night, at first insisting that he didn't want to sleep, feeling guilty that I were to wake him on the hour every hour. Sleep eventually overcame him and I set the bedside alarm clock to wake me up every hour, shaking him awake as he mumbled grumpily.

Emmett and Jasper were still staying at the house, but Jasper confessed with a jaded expression that he was to return to Jackson in a few days. I watched him through the windows strolling around the property in deep thought, smoking his cigarillos as he ran his fingers through his honey locks, sometimes sitting on the very same garden swing where I first spied him and Alice kissing. Sadness overcame me as I thought of the two of them finally reuniting only to be torn apart, even if for a few months while his transfer went through. When he wasn't restlessly pacing the grounds he was spending time with Alice, free from his old burden of watching over me as he slowly learned to breakaway from his protective nature while in my presence. They went out on the town night after night, returning with wistful smiles on their faces. I dreaded his departure.

Emmett became consumed with revealing everything he'd learned about Claire to Rose. Edward found the paperwork beneath Emmett's mattress after we disappeared. He'd torn the house apart looking for any evidence of where we'd gone, finding the file stuffed right under where Emmett lay his big head at night. Edward said nothing to Rose, Alice or anyone else, quietly explaining as we lay in bed beside one another that he never planned on telling Rose that Emmett found her daughter unless we never returned to Memphis. He was nervous of the entire prospect of Emmett's confession of his investigation, concerned that Rose possibly didn't _want_ to know where her daughter was. He explained how Rose never brought her up in conversation and he never questioned her feelings about the forced adoption. His words pissed me off, at first, but the genuine concern in his eyes made me take pause and absorb what he told me. What if Rose _did_ become offended by what Emmett had done? It was almost unfathomable to me, now that I was pregnant myself, to imagine _not_ wanting my children, but I knew there were many women in this world who didn't share the same idea. Was Rose one of those people? I didn't think so, but then again, Rose was a horse of a different color.

On New Year's Eve I received an unexpected surprise. I expected the day to go on the same way as the last couple of days; Edward waking up bitching about his sore shoulder while I listened patiently, cooking breakfast, the physical therapist showing up before lunch to work Edward out in the gym. I'd probably clean the house while listening to some songs on my new iPhone that Edward bought me. Things never turn out the way I expect them to. You'd think I'd be used to the unexpected by now.

Waking up at the crack of dawn, I began cooking breakfast for the boys as usual, humming to myself as I finished with the grits, full of bacon, butter and cheese, just the way my brother liked them. Edward entered the room, wrapping his arms around my waist as I stood at the stove. He nibbled on my neck and pressed his erection into my back.

"Tease," I accused, feeling myself get worked up, fumbling with the spatula as I flipped a pancake. We hadn't had sex since I returned home, but we could. Not that I had time to ask the doctor. I did the next best thing. I googled that shit.

"I have a surprise for you," he whispered, sucking my earlobe into his mouth and causing me to moan. The pancake began to smoke and I yipped in concern, his mouth and arms leaving me as I began scraping the black concoction from the pan with the spatula. Sighing loudly, I dumped the wasted pancake in the trash, hating to waste good food.

"What kind of surprise?" I asked him curiously, switching the vent fan on and turning to wrap my arms around his neck. His hair was a sloppy mess, and he had a lazy, sexy smile on his face. The physical therapist told him yesterday that he could try leaving the sling off for a couple of days, and he happily obliged, now looking like a normal human being once again...well, as normal as an Adonis can look. The swelling from his fall also went down a great deal, barely noticeable beneath his swirling, coppery strands.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," he bantered, pressing his lips against mine and slipping his tongue in my mouth. I kissed him back greedily before he broke free, pressing a small kiss on my nose as I panted breathlessly. "Wear that sweater dress thing Alice bought you," he instructed, staring into my eyes. "And leave your underwear at home."

His words shot a thrill straight between my legs. Grinning up at him, I did exactly as he asked, wiggling around on the bar stool as we all ate together, Emmett shooting me a dubious stare. Jasper was quite and introspective that morning, barely noticing my excitement. Edward grinned at me over his eggs, smirking at my obvious enthusiasm.

After slipping on the slightly tight beige sweater dress, I slipped on a pair of shiny calf-length brown boots and a large brown belt around my waist, curling my hair with a curling iron and even putting on some light makeup. Satisfied with my ensemble, I emerged from our bathroom to find Edward standing near the bed, taking me in from head to toe with his hungry green eyes. He was met with the same expression, for I'd never seen him look so sexy before. Edward wore cream-colored slacks and a matching vest, open, over a white button-up shirt with pair of dark, shiny leather shoes on his feet. He was casual, yet sexy and all I could think of was licking him from head to toe.

"If you keep staring at me like that you won't make it out of this room," he whispered in a husky voice, slowly stalking towards me.

I took a deep breath, swallowed and mumbled, "You promise?" He laughed, wrapping his arms around me waist, hissing slightly with the movement of his left arm. I glanced at him in alarm, but he captured my lips in a deep kiss, effectively distracting me from his pain.

"Bella, I'd love to strip that sexy fucking dress from your body," he mumbled into my ear. "But there's a promise that I aim to keep and we need to get moving now before I lose control and break that promise."

"What promise?" I pressed, still unsure of his plans for the day.

"I made a promise once to take you on a date, and that's exactly what we're doing," he replied, chuckling at my excited grin.

He pulled me from the room as I hopped up and down in excitement, explaining to a confused Emmett and a morose Jasper that we were leaving for the day and wouldn't be back until later tonight. Emmett explained that he and Jasper had plans for the day as well, shooting a knowing grin at my cousin who sat silently staring into space. I wondered briefly what their plans were but didn't question in, happy to be alone with Edward, who left Sam sitting at home with Ben. He had yet to replace Liam, but didn't seem very concerned about it.

We spent the day acting like a couple of tourists, first arriving at Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, which I'd shamefully never visited. It was smaller than I expected, but I assumed it was probably very upscale for the time it was built. Graceland was situated in Whitehaven, once an very ritzy neighborhood. It turned pretty much into a ghetto over time, the neighborhood around the mansion slowly falling into ruins. I quickly realized it didn't matter where Graceland sat, once I stepped into the house with the fellow tourists. I stared at the jungle room in wonder as it was hideously tacky with it's green, floor to ceiling shag carpet and exotic plants running amuck. Animal print was everywhere and one wall dripped water among the rocks embedded there. We left the room an my eyes roamed the staircase leading to the second story, which was roped off, restricted from visitors. I whispered my conspiracies to Edward, that maybe the king himself sat upstairs, eating a cheeseburger and watching MTV. He chuckled and rolled his eyes as we stepped outside, staring at the massive tombstones in the Meditation garden where the king, his parents and his grandmother were buried. A round fountain sat in the middle of the tombstones, spraying water into the sky before cascading into the clear blue pool below.

"See? His name is misspelled on the tombstone," I whispered to Edward, pointing as Edward glanced down at it curiously. "His middle name was spelled A-A-R-O-N. The tombstone only has one 'A'. Mmmm hmm...he ain't dead."

"What does his name being misspelled have to do with anything?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. "And how do you know that, anyhow?"

"Elvis was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi. Duh," I replied, rolling my eyes as he shook his head at me with a small, patient smile. "And who would allow the king of rock and roll to have a misspelling on his tombstone? Someone who knows he's not really dead, that's who."

Edward snickered as I stared at him with a straight face. As we left the property with the groups of Japanese and German tourists, I cast one last glance at the mansion, gasping as I saw the curtains move in an upstairs room. Edward said it was a cleaning lady, but I had my doubts.

By the time we finished at Graceland, and viewed the Lisa Marie, Elvis's jet plane he christened after his only child, it was lunchtime. Edward explained that he had plans for our dinner, but it was my decision where to dine for lunch. Craving comfort food, I chose to eat at The Elegant Farmer, frowning at the menu as I saw old school salmon patties listed as a meal. When Edward saw my expression he questioned me, and I explained my indiscretion with the salmon patties and pregnancy tests, causing him to throw his head back and burst into laughter. I smiled at the carefree, happy expression on his face, lost for a moment in the purest form of freedom and...peace that'd I'd never felt in my life until that moment. This man, this beautiful, loving, smirking man was willing to spend the rest of his life with me. He gave me a confused smile as I glanced back down at the menu, fighting to hide happy tears.

Sticking to my roots, I ordered the pan-seared Mississippi catfish with mac and cheese, fresh corn on the cob, smoked tomato broth and a huge glass of sweet tea. Edward stared at me in wonder as I cleaned the entire plate before hanging my head in shame. He quietly explained that he couldn't wait to see my belly swollen with his children and my cheeks burned at the honesty in his voice and in his eyes. I smiled shyly at him as he left the young waitress a huge tip and we walked hand in hand back to his car.

Our next stop was at the Pink Palace Museum where we watched a movie in the IMAX theater. To tell you the truth, I wasn't paying attention to The Light Before Christmas as it played it's final performance on the huge screen. Edward and I were too busy making out in the back row to pay attention, the reasoning for him demanding I go commando now clear. As the movie finished and the lights slowly came back on, I hid my face from our scowling neighbors as Edward's hand slipped from beneath my dress. Thankfully, there were no children on our row of seats.

"They're just jealous," Edward whispered in my ear as we strolled out of the theater and into the museum, glancing around at the displays of dinosaur fossils.

I snickered at him, rolling my eyes in response as he wrapped his arm around my waist and we made our way through the largest mansion I'd ever been in, my brown boots clicking against the wooden floors. The mansion was once the dream-home of the man who owned the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain. Construction on the palace began in the early 1920's, but the grocery store owner went broke, declaring bankruptcy, leaving the palace unfinished. The building was eventually given to the city of Memphis during the late 1920's and turned into a museum. It was named the Pink Palace because the huge mansion was made entirely of pink marble.

We wandered around the building taking our time looking at the various exhibits until the sun began to dip low in the sky. We walked outside, Edward announcing his last surprise of the day. I grew excited as we headed near the river, my thoughts suddenly turning to Angie and Eric, guilt invading my body because I'd failed to all and check in on them since returning home. I pushed the thought aside, reminding myself that I didn't remember her cell number anyway, as it was programmed into my old phone that Jasper tossed from the car window days upon days ago. Vowing to make a personal appearance at her apartment the next day, I gazed through the window as Edward parked the car near the river. That's when I saw the beautiful white and red riverboat, floating lazily on the Mississippi River. It was old and elegant, with huge, red paddle wheels situated on the sides and a large smoke stack protruding from the top.

"Edward, what are we doing?" I asked quietly as we approached the deck, my chest bubbling in excitement. He escorted me onto the riverboat, greeting a man who stood nearby wearing a black suit, a friendly smile upon his face.

"We're having dinner," he explained as we followed the man inside a large room, full of small, round tables covered in white tablecloths with tiny tea lights and red, bloomed roses. "And then I'll ask you to dance. And hopefully you'll say yes..."

That's when I noticed a small group of men nearby, busily gathering their instruments as a handsome man with dark skin and a sparkling, silver vest stood in front of a microphone, adjusting it to his height. He shot me a smile as the man in the black suit gestured to an empty table nearby. Edward cut in front of the man to pull my chair back himself, and I gave the man an apologetic glance. He smiled back gently, seemingly not insulted by my fiancé's brush-off. Edward joined me at the table as the man took our drink order and disappeared. The band started up, the air filling with the sound of soulful blues music as man in the silver vest began singing one of my favorite blue's songs.

_"Well, you've heard about love givin' sight to the blind_

_My baby's lovin' 'cause the sun to shine_

_She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby, I'm her little lover boy"_

The waiter returned with our drinks and Edward asked me to dance. A nervous knot formed in my belly as I softly confessed that I wasn't a very good dancer. Truth be known, I'd never danced with anyone in my life. Edward, ignoring my voiced concerns, pulled me to the dance floor, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pressed his body closely to mine. Placing my arms around his neck, I rested my head against his chest, and we swayed slowly together, Edward whispering sweet devotions in my ear the entire time. I fell in love with him all over again, standing on that riverboat, swaying in time with the music.

_"Yeah, I love my baby, heart and soul_

_Love like ours won't never grow old_

_She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy_

_She's my sweet little baby, I'm her little lover boy"_

We finished the night by eating Memphis style pulled pork barbeque, grilled, marinated chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, grilled vegetables and chocolate cake for dessert, a truly eloquent, southern meal. By the time we started home it was after eight o'clock at night. I was as full as a tick and slightly miserable, moaning and rubbing my bulging belly. Edward chuckled at me in humor as we pulled up to the house, the smile falling from his face as he glanced at the driveway in confusion. The driveway was full of cars and a ball of dread formed in my stomach.

"What's going on?" I asked, noticing Alice, Rose and Carmen's vehicles, amongst various other cars. He shook his head, mumbling that he had no idea, just as we parked the car and Emmett's truck rumbled up behind us. We slid out of the vehicle, walking over to where Emmett and Jasper exited his truck as well, staring at the driveway full of cars in confusion.

"What's up with all the cars?" Emmett asked as we all exchanged unknowing glances.

I shrugged and followed the boys up the winding driveway to the front door as Edward entered the security code and pulled the door open. We were greeted by a room full of smiling, shouting friends and family, drinks already in hand. Carmen, Tia, Rose, Angie and Eric, Sam, Ben, Esme and Carlisle stood beaming at us, a mischievous looking Alice standing dead center. I spied a massive white sheet cake perched on the bar near the kitchen, the frosting swooping and swirling elegantly. The room was full of small, lit candles and fragrant white flowers, covering every available surface. I gasped in surprise glancing around the room just as Emmett stepped up beside me.

"Aw, hells, Bells!" he exclaimed with a grin, slapping me on my back, causing me to wince in pain. "They're throwing you baby shower!"

The smiles dropped from everyone's faces, including Carlisle, who cast Esme a worried glance before he downed what was left of the dark liquid in his glass. Everyone gasped simultaneously as they stared at us, Alice's voice breaking above the sound.

"You're pregnant!" she screamed, clutching her chest in shock. Edward and I glanced at one another anxiously, before he nodded, mumbling something about no time like the present.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "Yes, with twins..." I watched as everyone's mouths dropped open...including Carlisle's.

And in true Cullen style, Esme fainted, landing in her husbands waiting, expectant arms.

"I can't believe you're pregnant," Alice hiccupped into her glass of Jack, some time later, once her mother regained consciousness.

As it turns out, the surprise party wasn't a baby shower at all. It was a welcome home party, orchestrated entirely by Alice and the girls, with the help Sam, of course. Edward seemed a little peeved that Sam kept the party a secret from him, stalking around murmuring about traitors and such until I cast him the evil eye. He'd been pretty understanding since then, sticking by Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle's side as they talked about, of all things, skinning a deer. Apparently a New Year's hunting trip was in the works and I shook my head in amazement as I watched my cousin and my future father in law chat like they were old college buddies.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either, especially since you were on birth control," Rose mused, staring into space. "Edward must have some super sperm." I wrinkled my nose at her mentioning my fiance's sperm.

"So, what have y'all been up to?" I asked Carmen and Tia. Carmen stood behind the bar, cutting a tiny piece of cake that she'd probably take two bites of before declaring she was stuffed. Tia stood behind her near the island, pouring herself a glass of tea.

Carmen glanced around, taking in her surroundings, seemingly satisfied that Rose and Alice were now lost in their own conversation and no one else was paying us any attention. She leaned forward, gesturing for me to do the same. Our heads were so close together they were almost touching.

"Killing people," she whispered, her eyes wide in excitement.

Tia stood behind her staring at me, twirling her finger around in circles near her right temple, the international symbol for crazy before she then began making hand gestures resembling someone pouring pills into their hand and popping them into their mouth. I nodded knowingly and Carmen knotted her eyebrows in confusion, glancing over her shoulder at Tia who now stood quietly sipping her iced tea, glancing casually at the ceiling. My Yankee friend was a strange person, indeed.

Eric was growing like a weed, now stumbling clumsily around on his fat little legs. Secretly, I wished for a couple of fat little babies, though I doubted Edward would agree. Angie still looked as beautiful and sweet as she always had, with her dark skin and warm eyes, her long black hair flowing down her back. We spoke of old neighbors in the apartment building and Angie confessed that she missed me being right across the hallway. I promised to visit her very soon and we hugged, laughing as Eric smeared white frosting all over his pudgy little face, giving us a gap-toothed grin.

Esme acted very peculiar around me, watching my every move, pouring me a glass of milk spewing something about bone health. She snatched a piece of cake from Alice's shocked fingers, mumbling around gestational diabetes. I cast Alice a weary stare, wondering if I'd be subjected to this treatment for the next several months. Alice nodded, answering my unspoken question and I shook my head in disappointment.

It was nearly midnight when the drama began to unfold. Emmett drank way more than usual that night and began working his charm on Rose, who scowled and ignored him, rolling her eyes and turning away in complete rejection. He walked around looking like someone kicked his puppy before disappearing upstairs and I knew in my heart that he was about to do something completely stupid. He would reappear with Claire's file and possibly embarrass Rose and himself in front of all these people. I stood up from the stool to hunt him down before he did something drastic, but Esme pulled me away, chatting about possible baby names as she cooed and rubbed at my abdomen.

Everyone sat in the living room, besides Esme and I. We stood in the kitchen area and I nervously glanced at the stairway from time to time. From the corner of my eye I saw Jasper grasp Alice's tiny hand, a long-lost lopsided grin on his face as he pulled her from the room, disappearing somewhere outside...probably to the garden swing. Finally, Emmett emerged from upstairs, but what he carried in his hands wasn't a file. It was his duffel bag.

"Oh, shit," I muttered, as he hit the last step, a determined look on his handsome face. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, rimmed in red, as suspiciously watery. I excused myself from Esme, darting across the room just as he passed a solemn-face Rose who watched as I began pulling at my brother's large, muscular arm.

"Emmett! Where are you going!" I asked him, my voice sounding frantic in my own ears. If he wanted to leave he could, but not behind the wheel of any vehicle after drinking.

"I'm out of here. I need to get away for a while," he answered gruffly, swiping his hand below his eyes as he removed my hand from his arm. "Don't worry. I called a cab. I'll wait at the gate for it."

"Emmett! Where are you going? Are you leaving town? What...what about the babies? Don't you wanna stay to see the babies?" I was growing desperate now as I began crying, garnering attention from all the guests remaining in the house, including Rose.

Our of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward crossing the living room to where I struggled to stop my brother from leaving. He'd been locked up for two years and I'd only had a little over two months with him. I'd be damned before I didn't put up a little fight before letting him walk out of my life.

"Bella, I'm not leaving forever. I just need some time to myself. I'll be back for my truck and the rest of my stuff. I...just need some time to think about things, you know? Re-evaluate my future," he muttered as Edward appeared by my side and began speaking quietly to my brother.

Emmett ignored his words, muttering good-bye without a second glance before closing the door behind him. The house went deathly silent, except for my quiet sniffles. Beneath the sadness, my anger began to brew and Edward's stared at me, his eyes big as saucers, knowing exactly what was about to take place.

As my friend Tia would say, I went white girl crazy.

"This is all your fault!" I screamed at Rose, whose mouth fell open in shock as I turned, glaring at her and pointing my finger in her face. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stomped across the room, Rose humorously standing and hold her hands up in defense.

"Why is this my fault?" she asked, the shock falling from her face and replaced with a look of irritation and anger.

"Cause you're a saddity little bitch that doesn't know a good thing when it's standing right in front of you," I heard Tia snap as I nodded my head in agreement. Rose's mouth formed a hard, straight line and she glared across the room at Tia. Sam appeared at Tia's side, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"I don't even know what 'saddity' means to defend myself," Rose sneered, rolling her eyes.

"It means that you are a high falutin', pretentious, snobby bitch!" Tia screamed, her hands clenched in tight fists.

Esme gasped, holding a hand over her heart at my friend's outburst. Carlisle refilled his glass with Jack. Edward began talking in a calm voice, trying to settle things down, but Rose softly interrupted him.

"Look, it's not that I don't like Emmett," Rose explained quietly, the anger slipping from her face and replaced by a look of sadness. "I like Emmett...I more than _like_ him. But it's like we're from two different planets. I can only imagine explaining to my father that I'm dating an ex-convict."

"After all he's done for you," I whispered, drying my face with the back of my hands as Rose shot me a confused glance. "You don't even know what he's done for you. He found your daughter, Rose. From the moment he found out about her he began his hunt, spending hours upon hours doing exactly what he's forbidden to do; going online cracking through secure websites. The folder's upstairs if you don't believe me. Oh, and he bought her some clothes too. You might as well take those when you leave, since I have no idea when or if my brother is ever coming back."

She stared at me, her eyes wide and her face pale. Her hands began trembling as she mumbled incoherently below her breath. Rose began sobbing, wrapping her arms around her chest muttering, "Oh, God! What have I done? What have I done?" over and over. Her angelic face crumbled and she hid it with her hands, sobbing before sitting on the couch, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

I suddenly felt horrible, outing Rose the way I did, purposely hurting her because of my hurt I felt deep inside. I opened my mouth to apologize when Alice burst into the room, dragging a grinning, red-faced Jasper behind her, blurting out, "Guess what, y'all? Jasper just proposed! We're engaged!" She held up her left ring finger, the diamond ring flashing in the candlelight. The smile slipped from her face as she took in the somber room and Rose's devastated appearance.

"Uh, oh. What did I miss?" she muttered, looking around the room at our various faces. At that exact moment, the clock struck midnight and I heard Edward snort beside me. Turning to him, I cocked one eyebrow, as he began laughing hysterically, tears streaming down his face.

"Happy New Year!" he managed to blurt out between guffaws as the clock chimed the twelfth time, signaling the end of one very crazy year.

* * *

HAPPY NEW YEARS! Reviewers get health, wealth and prosperity!


	27. Chapter 27: Return of the Mack

_Previously, in Chapter Twenty-Six..._

_I suddenly felt horrible, outing Rose the way I did, purposely hurting her because of my own hurt I felt deep inside. I opened my mouth to apologize when Alice burst into the room, dragging a grinning, red-faced Jasper behind her, blurting out, "Guess what, y'all? Jasper just proposed! We're engaged!" She held up her left ring finger, the diamond ring flashing in the candlelight. The smile slipped from her face as she took in the somber room and Rose's devastated appearance._

_"Uh, oh. What did I miss?" she muttered, looking around the room at our various faces. At that exact moment, the clock struck midnight and I heard Edward snort beside me. Turning to him, I cocked one eyebrow, as he began laughing hysterically, tears streaming down his face._

_"Happy New Year!" he managed to blurt out between guffaws as the clock chimed the twelfth time, signaling the end of one very crazy year._

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Return of the Mack (McMaster90)**

The days following Emmett's departure, Rose's breakdown and Alice and Jasper's engagement were strange, to say the least.

Rose stayed at our house for three days. The first day of the new year, Sam knocked lightly on our bedroom door, softly calling Edward's name. Edward shuffled to the door, cracked it open slightly and stuck his head into the hallway. I watched sleepily from where I lay, the emotions of the night before, added to the fact that I was pregnant, rendering me completely exhausted. Edward spoke quietly to Sam, whose voice I heard drifting in the bedroom, before gently closing the door.

"You should check in on Rose," Edward suggested quietly, as he sat down on the edge of the bed in his blue plaid boxers. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "She's not in your old bedroom anymore. She's in Emmett's."

Edward's words caused me to sit straight up in bed, instantly awake. We'd told Rose she could spend the night after the drama of New Year's Eve, not wanting her driving in her dismal condition. As far as I knew, she'd spent the night in my old bedroom upstairs. Remembering my words to her from the night before, I wondered if she'd gone in search of Claire's file...and found it. What was she going through upstairs, all alone, going through a file that spoke of her long-lost daughter's short, sad life? Edward watched me rush around the room, tossing on my clothes as I went. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek before I left him sitting on our bed, a small smile on his face. Darting upstairs, I knocked quietly on Emmett's door with no response. Turning the knob, I entered without permission, gasping at the scene before me.

Rose lay on Emmett's bed, wearing a huge pair of his red plaid boxers and that stupid bacon shirt my brother wore at Thanksgiving. Crumpled, wet tissues lay scattered around her as she lay on her left side. The contents of Claire's file lay scattered around her, a photograph of the little girl clutched in her hand. Rose stared at it like a zombie, her face blank, void of any emotion Her face was pale and blotchy, her eyes swollen from crying. It was the most depressing thing I'd ever seen, and I'd seen a lot of depressing things in my twenty-two years.

"I was sixteen," I heard a hauntingly sad voice whisper. Making my way across the room, I swept wadded tissues aside as I sat on the edge of the bed, grasping one of Rose's hands and giving it a supportive squeeze. She squeezed my hand weakly in return, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I was sixteen when I gave birth to my little girl. I had a little girl, Bella. Did you know that? Did Emmett tell you I had a girl?" She had a strange, childlike tone to her voice as she said this. I nodded me head warily, my heart feeling as though it were breaking into pieces in my chest.

"He told me," I said quietly, glancing at the photograph held between her fingertips. A solemn little girl stared back from the photo, her eyes the color of the Florida coast and her hair a strawberry blonde. There was no happy smile, no childlike innocence in her features.

"He's gone," she whispered, her violet eyes tearing up again as she sniffled. "He left. I didn't realize how much I cared about him until he walked out last night. And he did all this for me, Bella. For _me_! I've done nothing but reject him from the beginning, but he continued to search for my daughter anyway! Do you know how long I've searched for her?" I shook my head. "Years. I've searched for her for years, thinking that my job as an adoption agent would somehow help...and Emmett waltzed into my life out of the blue and finds her within a couple of months. No one's ever done anything like this for me, Bella. My parents pretend like I was never pregnant. All they care about is covering up my dirty little secret so my father's reputation isn't tarnished. My whole life's been wasted trying making everyone happy...everyone but me. I'm so tired of it, Bella. I'm so tired. I'm ready to make myself happy, for once. But it's too late, because he's _gone_." Rose's tears turned into full-blown, gut wrenching sobs. My own eyes welled up with tears, as I watched my seemingly strong friend break down in front of my eyes.

"He'll be back," I reassured her in a hopeful voice. "He'll come back for his truck...for his stuff." I glanced around the room and sadly realized that my brother had little belongings, besides the bulging bags of clothes he'd bought. The clothes were hanging haphazardly from the bags, probably by Rose since my brother was slightly OCD with his things.

"No, he won't," she cried, wiped her tear-stained cheeks with a wadded tissue. "He's already come and gone! I heard his truck leave this morning! He's gone and he's never coming back! I've ruined everything! Your friend is right, Bella. I'm a bitch!" I swallowed the lump in my throat, the urge to abandon my friend to run to the window and peer down at the driveway overwhelming. I wanted to see, for myself, if she was telling the truth about Emmett's truck being gone, although she had no reason to lie. The reality of the situation was crushing; my brother left. And I had no idea when he'd come back. Rose barricaded herself in that room, wallowing in her own self-pity, until, on the third day, I got desperate.

I called Alice.

She arrived like the whirlwind that she was, snapping at Rose to get a grip and do something, _anything_, but lay in that bed wearing the now, slightly stinky, bacon shirt. Rose finally relented, allowing Alice to drag her to the shower and freshen up. I quietly cooked breakfast for the lot of us, but stopped once the smell of scrambled eggs hit my nose. For some reason, from that day forward, the smell of eggs caused me to wretch. Edward took over the cooking duties that morning, shocking me to no extent because I hadn't a clue he knew anything about cooking. Rose had breakfast with us, but she mostly shoved her food around her plate.

Jasper searched high and low for Emmett, but came up with nothing. He'd arrive back at the house, his casual demeanor slightly crushed, as he'd quietly shake his head at us, casting Rose an apologetic smile. The fact that Jasper couldn't find Emmett was terrifying. Where could Emmett possibly hide so that my FBI cousin couldn't find him? We never asked Rose to leave the house, but her presence became overwhelming. She drifted around from room to room, a broken expression on her face, like some sort of miserable ghost. Edward thought that our new house guest was adding stress to my pregnancy. I denied it aloud, but secretly agreed.

Then one day, something inside Rose just...clicked. I woke up and she was gone. Panicking, I called her phone only to receive that annoying automated voice message service. Next I called Alice, who was somehow able to track her down, but only through her workplace. Her boss told Alice that Rose took an extended leave of absence from her job. And then she told her something that, quite possibly, was illegal for her to disclose. She told Alice Rose was gone to Oklahoma...to find her daughter.

The days turned into weeks as January slowly slipped away. February arrived and still no word from neither Emmett, nor Rose. Jasper tracked Rose down easily enough, figuring out her location within twenty-four hour of her departure. She holed up in a swanky hotel in a town I'd never heard of, working on getting her daughter back. Jasper told us, and we agreed, that she'd be better off left alone. It just about killed Alice, not talking to her best friend for weeks on end, but Rose didn't answer the phone, which was enough of a hint to recognize she didn't want to speak to anyone. Her parents even called Alice, trying to track her down. Alice lied for her, telling them she was on vacation on some island with poor cell service. They bought it, hook, line and sinker, which was pretty sad considering Alice explained to me that Rose hadn't taken a vacation in years.

It was around the middle of February when Emmett's abandonment finally took its toll on me. Emmett's blatant disregard of mine and Jasper's concerns for his well-being, not only worried me, but really started to piss me off. I barely ate, I barely slept, Edward worried about me constantly and Esme's petting and prodding all the time didn't make things any better. It was time to get Emmett back. It was time to pull out the big guns.

It was time to call Garrett.

Jasper sat alone on the garden swing one night, smoking a cigarillo, as he stared up at the stars hanging in the dark sky. I quietly joined him and he quickly put the cigarillo out, shooting me a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Jasper leaned back on the swing, his arm hanging across the back as he gently rocked us back and forth, using the heels of his thick boots to move us along.

"What's on your mind, darlin'?" he asked, his eyes shifting from mine and landing on the babbling waterfall in front of us. I tucked my legs under my body, chewing on my bottom lip as I thought of a way to covertly ease Garrett Ratliff into conversation.

I never was very good at being covert.

"Call Garrett," I blurted, causing Jasper's blue eyes to dart from the waterfall to mine, in surprise. "Call Garrett and ask him to find Emmett. He's the only contact you haven't used. Please, Jasper. I'm desperate."

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said, cocking his head to the side and studying my face carefully. "That's not an option after that stunt the two of you pulled."

"Besides," he added, raising one eyebrow as his eyes bored into mine, a sideways smile playing on his lips. "How would Edward feel seeing you around the man who you ran off to play martyr with?"

From the look on his face I'd almost swear that he knew about the unwanted kiss that Garrett gave me. My cheeks burned in embarrassment, but I brushed the thought and the memory aside, knowing full-well that there was no way Jasper knew about the kiss. And, Lord knows, as wrong as it may seem, I wasn't about to tell Edward about Garrett's kiss. If he'd faint over finding out about the twins, he'd bust a gasket when he found out another man put his lips on mine. I told myself the kiss didn't matter. It meant nothing to me and was unimportant. Edward was better off not knowing.

"Jasper, I'm just trying to find Emmett, okay?" I said, breaking my eyes away from his critical stare to watch the water cascading down the rock waterfall, the water sparkling in the moonlight. "I'm worried about him. He's out there somewhere with his big, dumb, broken heart and no one he can turn to."

"Bella, believe me when I tell you that Emmett _will _come back," Jasper stressed as I continued to avoid his eyes, pulling my legs from beneath me, pressing my knees up to my chin and wrapping my arms around them. "I can read Emmett like a book, and I'm willing to bet that he's hiding out somewhere licking his wounds. Garrett's not our next option, Bella. Hell, he's not even our_ last _option. The answer is 'no' and that's final." And with that, my cousin stood up, the garden swing rocking a bit more violently, and walked off, shoving his hands in his worn jeans as he left. I sat in near the waterfall for a long time that night, the feeling of Edward's eyes watching me from the nearby window lingering on my skin until I finally walked back inside.

There was one bright spot to my misery, and it came in the surprising form of one Carlisle Cullen. He and Esme arrived one night for supper, and as I stood over the sink cleaning the dishes he appeared at my side, leaning nonchalantly against the counter. I gave him an anxious glance, still slightly uncomfortable with his friendly attitude with me.

"How are you, my dear?" he asked, his smile cautious. "I mean, how are you really?" His voice was full of nothing fatherly concern, something that I somehow recognized, but was also so unfamiliar with. Drying my hands on a dish towel, I turned around, leaning against the sink by his side as I studied his genuinely humble stare.

"Honestly, Carlisle," I replied, my voice sounding slightly unstable. "I'm not doing so hot. Emmett's still missing, Rose won't answer the phone, Edward won't let me go back to work, which makes perfect sense, because what pregnant woman works in a bar anyway? All I do is cook and clean and I'm about to lose my mind! I feel so helpless all the time. And the mood swings are driving everyone bonkers! My gun-totting fiancé acts like he's terrified of me now. My wedding plans never happened because I went from engaged to attacked to hiding out and then pregnant! Oh, God, I'm sorry I'm rambling so much!"

He gave a slight chuckle as he watched me chew my lip in frustration. "Bella, I wish I could solve all your problems, but I can't. I have Jenks working on tracking your brother down, but so far he's had no luck. You crave work, which is very honorable, by the way. Most women in your place would gladly spend their time hanging on my son's arm without a care in the world. But you're not like most women, and for that I'm grateful. How I ever thought Tanya was a better match for my son is beyond me. As for my son being scared of you, that's normal. Esme's mood swings during her pregnancies were terrifying. I'd face the devil himself before I went through that again." I snorted in response, an image of Carlisle choosing hell over the wrath of his pregnant wife crossing my mind. He grinned at my expression and I gave him, what I hoped, was a sincere smile.

I told him, my voice sounding shy, "I can never thank you enough for helping Edward track us down, and the way you handled James..."

"Bella, the moment my investigator told me about the pregnancy tests, something inside me just snapped," he admitted, his throat bobbing as he swallowed and dropped his eyes to the floor in front of him. The handsome blonde man suddenly looked unsure of himself, something I'd never seen before. "There's something...different that stirs inside a man when he finds out he's possibly a grandfather. I love my children, don't get me wrong, but there's just something...special, knowing that your _child_ is an expectant father. I can't describe the feeling accurately enough."

"Which reminds me of the real reason I came in here to talk to you," he admitted, sheepishly, suddenly walking around the bar and removing a briefcase from where it sat on a bar stool, previously unnoticed by me. I watched with vapid curiosity as he lay the briefcase on the bar and popped the metal clasps open, rifling around and bringing out a stack of papers. He handed them to me, watching my face nervously as I fumbled through the stack. My heart stopped as my eyes scanned the words, instantly recognizing what was in the massive mound of paperwork, but somehow wanting to hear the words leaving his mouth.

"What is all this?" I whispered, my eyes beginning to water as I sat the papers down on the counter, as though the pages were on fire.

"Everything you need for the twin's trust fund," he replied, clearing his throat. "And, of course, their college expense's are already paid for. There's a copy of my will in there, as well. Everything is divided equally between Edward and Alice, except for the twin's college funds. If Alice decides to have children in the future, they'll receive the same benefits." He seemed very surprised as he finished his explanation, to suddenly find himself trapped in my arms as I sobbed against the collar of his expensive suit. My children would someday go to college, something I never had the chance to do. They'd never worry about money the way I always had. Carlisle had guaranteed these two things, cementing their bright future permanently in place. He patted me awkwardly on the back and I sniffed and swiped my hands across my cheeks, pulling myself away from him bashfully.

"I've been thinking of some names," I told him, shyly gazing into my future father-in-law's eyes. "And I thought, if I have a girl, I'd name her 'Carlie'. It's a joining of 'Carlisle' and 'Charlie'. That's my father's name...Charlie."

Carlisle stared at me for a long moment before breaking the stare, glancing at the floor as he coughed and cleared his throat. For a moment I could swear that he looked a little misty-eyed as well. "That'd be a great honor, Bella," he told me in a quiet voice as he looked at his shiny black shoes before looking up at me.

"Bella, do you ever speak to your father?"

"No," I shrugged, sitting on a bar stool. "He stopped being a father a long time ago. I haven't spoken to him in years. The last I heard, he was in drug rehab."

"People make mistakes, Bella," he said, his voice hinting to his own misjudging. "Maybe you should give him a chance. Doesn't he deserve to know he's having grandchildren? Doesn't the twins deserve to know their grandfather?"

I thought about his words carefully before a chose to reply. "Maybe someday, Carlisle, but now I'd rather not speak to him." There was too much going on in my life to risk reaching out to a man who'd possibly reject me. Happy memories of my youth, prior to my mother's death, played in the back of my mind...an occasional fishing trip, a gentle smile on my father's face...but I pushed the thoughts aside. Yes, it'd be a long time before I spoke to Charlie Swan again. Carlisle nodded, choosing to not press the issue any further, for which I was grateful.

It was near the end of February when Emmett returned. He arrived as quickly as he'd disappeared.

Edward insisted on changing the gate code every week since we returned home. He continued to do so, even after Emmett left, against my wishes. I panicked, the thought of my brother showing up and unable to punch in the wrong code possibly seeming like a rejection of sorts. Luckily, Emmett didn't take it that way. He simply pressed the intercom button over and over, yelling into the small plastic box that he was 'home' and to 'open the damn gate'. I heard his frustrated voice all the way in the kitchen, and I screamed for Sam to open the gate as I darted from the room. I arrived in the driveway just as Emmett pulled up in that big, white truck, the bottom coated in thick, red mud, telling me one thing; my brother's hiding place was somewhere in Mississippi.

Emmett hopped out of the truck and I immediately through my arms around him, basking in the feeling of his arms around me and the familiar hearty chuckle. Scruff covered his face, very un-Emmett like as he preferred a clean shave. There were shadows beneath his eyes and he looked as though he hadn't slept in a very long time. He probably felt worse after I left his loving embrace and punched him in the gut.

"Damnit, Bells," he scowled, rubbing his belly. My fist was sore from punching him and I shook my hand trying to work out the pain as I scowled up at him. "I thought you'd be happier to see me."

"You asshole! Where have you been? Do you know what you've put us through? We've been searching for you high and low! How could you leave like that? I'm so pissed at you! And don't get me started on Edward! He's probably gonna wring your neck!" I screamed, shoving him in his big chest for emphasis.

"Chillax, sis!" he said, grabbing my hands as I tried to hit him again. "I was hanging out with a buddy of mine from Parchman for a while. I told you I needed some time to myself to figure things out."

"Well, I hope you've got it all figured out!" I snapped, crossing my arms and glaring at my big idiot brother.

"I have, actually," he admitted, glancing over my shoulder as I felt my fiancé emerge from the house. Emmett's face paled slightly, and I could only image in the murderous expression on Edward's face before I actually saw he. He appeared at my side glaring at my brother who suddenly looked very sheepish.

"I don't think I need to explain how worried your sister has been," Edward said, in a low, voice, clutching his hands into hard fists at his sides. That familiar vein was bulging in his forehead and he held a sexy sneer on his face. I wasn't ashamed to admit that the sneer did something to me. Don't judge me; my pregnancy hormones had me working in overdrive. I licked my lips at the sight of my very angry Edward.

"Look, I'm sorry," Emmett murmured, holding his hands, palm up, in defense. "I shoulda called. It was stupid and selfish of me to leave without letting y'all know I'm alright. But I'm back now, and my head's screwed on straight. Rose doesn't want me, and as much as that hurts, I'm willing to put my feelings on the back burner to concentrate on being a good uncle. But if y'all are pissed off and want me to leave, I'll understand."

"Of course we don't want you to leave," I told my brother, ashamed of the way I'd treated him upon his return. He perked up a bit, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. Edward continued to glare at him, muttering, "Don't do it again" before pressing a kiss to my cheek and wandering back inside, probably to hunt Jasper down and announce Emmett's return.

Some of the stress dissipated, once Emmett came home. He started back at the club as though nothing ever happened and rarely spoke of Rose, although we'd made him aware of her trip to Oklahoma. He even met a girl at the club, a small brunette named Bree, who he started seeing on a regular basis. She was a cute little thing; petite with soft curves and a perky disposition. She stared at Emmett with stars in her big, brown eyes, but he never looked at her the same way he did Rose.

My belly started growing, turning from flat to a small, round mound. I'd stare in the mirror every morning, my eyes wide with amazement at the growth of the twins. Edward would walk into the bathroom and smile as I stood with my shirt bunched up under my boobs, wrapping his arms around me and lightly massaging my abdomen. He was so excited when I started feeling the fluttering of our children inside, followed by a deep disappoint when he couldn't feel them himself. He humorously immersed himself in my 'What To Expect When Expecting' book, searching for the time when he'd be able to feel our children's movement with his own hands. When I felt those tiny butterflies, it was as though my life didn't exist until that very moment.

We'd had routine sonograms, but the doctor held off on divulging the sex of the babies until around twenty weeks. Edward and I agreed that we did want to know the sex, not wanting any surprises. We'd had enough surprises in the short time we'd been together. Emmett even went with Edward and I to the twin's sonograms, practically bouncing in excitement as he watched the two little butterbeans on the small black and white screen. That's what he'd dubbed them; butterbean one and two, a nickname that actually caused Edward to grin.

"So, do you want to know the sex of the babies?" Dr. Marcy asked, a huge knowing grin on her face. Edward and I exchanged nervous glances as she pressed the wand against my belly, the sight of my two butterbeans displayed on the screen nearby.

"Yes, we'd like to know," Edward replied, his voice breaking slightly before he cleared it.

"You promise you won't faint?" Dr. Marcy teased, causing the nervous expression to melt from Edward's face and be replaced with a scowl. Dr. Marcy, Emmett and I laughed, and Edward huffed in annoyance.

"Well, it looks like you'll be the parents of two healthy little girls," Dr. Marcy beamed, almost unsurprising to me, since Dr. Marcy explained during the first sonogram the twins shared the same amniotic sac. I knew from my pregnancy book that the twins were identical and were either two boys or two girls.

"Two girls," he muttered, the familiar paleness returning at the thought of raising not one, but two little girls. Dr. Marcy looked slightly panicked by his expression, but he took a deep breath and visibly calmed down, knowing two girls was a possibility. I wasn't surprised by his reaction. He'd told me one night as we lay in bed that Alice was somewhat of a terror as a teenager, an emotional wreck of some sorts, and the thought of raising two girls anything like that was overwhelming.

"It's okay, Edward," I reassured him, gripping his hand. He glanced at me and his face visibly relaxed, as he nodded in agreement. The nervous expression then replaced with one of happiness as he repeated, "Two girls." I spent the rest of the day listening to Edward and Emmett argue over butterbean number two's name, rolling my eyes at some of the strange names Emmett came up with.

That night we all sat down to supper, Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Bree, who'd become somewhat of a fixture at our house. Alice had a pile of bridal magazines stacked in the living room just waiting on us to devour, as we typically did on her nights off from the club. We'd just finished the meal and started on dessert when I heard the intercom buzzing, my forkful of Oreo cookie pie freezing at my lips. Edward stood and disappeared from the dining room and I greedily shoved the pie in my mouth, feeling slightly guilty over the amount of food I seemed to consume lately. Edward didn't seem to mind, telling me constantly how beautiful I was. He seemed to enjoy the extra weight I'd put on.

And it didn't hurt that pregnancy sex was sort of...spectacular. To say I stayed horny all the time was an understatement.

The sound of a very familiar voice drifting from the foyer caused me to drop my fork against the antique china, my eyes meeting Alice's in mirrored alarm. Bree was blabbing on and on about something to Emmett who stared blankly down at the pie in front of him, carving intricate designs in the whipped creamed with the prongs of his fork as he pretended to listen to his date. She was a sweet girl, but slightly annoying with her constant babbling. The click of expensive leather heels against the marble floor seemed to draw Emmett from his trance as he gazed morosely at the dining room door, the clicking suddenly stopping. There stood Rose, wearing a fitted black top and matching tight pants, her normally composed expression slightly disturbed as her eyes immediately found Emmett's. They stared at each other for an unfathomable amount of time as Edward stood awkwardly by her side, running his hands through his unruly hair. Rose's eyes then narrowed in on Bree who, thankfully stopped talking, glancing over in confusion to where everyone stared, her eyes finally meeting Rose's.

"Emmett, who's that?" Bree asked, in a whiney voice as Emmett refused to look up from his Oreo pie. Rose crossed the room, Edward, Alice, Jasper and I staring at her slack-jawed as she offered the tiny girl her hand. Bree looked at it as though it were a venomous snake before awkwardly grabbing it, gasping as Rose shook it vehemently.

"I'm Rose," she said coolly, her chin tilted up as she peered down at the smaller girl, her eyes darting from Bree to where Emmett sat staring at the pie with his shoulders slumped.

"But the real question is, who the hell are you?" she asked, dropping the girl's hand, placing her own elegant hands on her hips and raising one eyebrow as Bree's mouth fell open.

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Need another baby name! Review and help me!


	28. Chapter 28: Shotgun Wedding Plans

We passed chapter 25 a while back, so I guess my intentions of ending the story around that time have long passed. I'd feel guilty leaving anything unsaid, so let's continue :)

My awesome banner was created by **Ana Fluttersby**. Actually, she made me three and I've been randomly changing them out...because I'm a total dork.

Baby names- love the name ideas y'all left me. I've already picked a couple out and I'm currently working on picking one more. Be patient ladies :)

Okay, one last thing about the following chapter; **LEMON ALERT**. And it's a hot one, if I do say so myself. You've been warned...

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_Previously, in Chapter Twenty-Seven..._

_"Emmett, who's that?" Bree asked, in a whiney voice as Emmett refused to look up from his Oreo pie. Rose crossed the room, Edward, Alice, Jasper and I staring at her slack-jawed as she offered the tiny girl her hand. Bree looked at it as though it were a venomous snake before awkwardly grabbing it, gasping as Rose shook it vehemently. _

_"I'm Rose," she said coolly, her chin tilted up as she peered down at the smaller girl, her eyes darting from Bree to where Emmett sat staring at the pie with his shoulders slumped. _

_"But the real question is, who the hell are you?" she asked, dropping the girl's hand, placing her own elegant hands on her hips and raising one eyebrow as Bree's mouth fell open._

**Chapter 28: Shotgun Wedding Plans**

Now, I wasn't one to promote violence, thinking of myself as a pacifist of sorts. Sure I'd seen my fair share of violence...and there was the one cat fight involving Tanya, but it wasn't like I went around looking for trouble. I couldn't even physically torment the man who spent months tormenting _me_. But, and as shameful as it was, a small thrill of anticipation ran through me as I watched Bree gain her composure and meet Rose's glare with one of her own.

Glancing around the room, I took in the expressions on everyone's face. Rose and Edward shared the infamous Cullen scowl, their eyes fixed on Rose as she towered over the smaller girl. They were still upset with our friend's abrupt departure. Jasper tried, and failed, to hide the amused grin that graced his face as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his nearly threadbare t-shirt, which read 'What happens at the duck blind, stays at the duck blind'. His blue eyes twinkled. Emmett continued to stare down at his plate, his face blank, his fork now abandoned to the side of the plate on a cloth napkin.

Grabbing my small plate loaded with the rest of my pie, I watched to drama unfold in front of me.

"Rose, huh?" Bree asked, tilting her head to the side and shooting Rose an evil smirk. "I've heard so much about you, Rose. It's nice to meet you. I'm Emmett's _girlfriend_." Girlfriend? He'd never told me that Bree was his 'girlfriend'. Shoveling another bite of pie in my mouth, my eyes darted to Rose who pursed her lips. Her face slowly began turning red.

"Wrong answer, bitch," she replied, shocking me by grabbing the girl's chair and yanking on it violently. Bree let out a surprised yelp as I licked my fork clean, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Rose, that's enough!" Edward hollered, grabbing Rose from behind and wrenching her away from the chair. Rose, being the strong bitch that she was, held on to the chair as he attempted to pull her way, effectively turning the chair over, dragging her backwards across the room kicking and screaming. Emmett, snapping out of whatever trance he was in, finally stood up, his normally jovial face furious.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he hollered at Rose, stooping over to help the small brunette to her feet. Bree stood up, trying to glare at Rose, but it came out looking more like a grimace. Edward continued to struggle holding Rose back. Coyly, I reached beside me and snatched Jasper's untouched Oreo pie. He never even noticed.

Mmmmm...Oreo pie.

"You tell me you're in _love _with me and then you leave? And I come home from Oklahoma and you've already moved on?" Rose screamed at my brother, shocking me as tears welled up in her eyes. The angry look slipped slightly from Emmett's face as he noticed her tears, but he quickly regained composure.

"Before I left you made your feelings very clear," he told her in a calmer, softer voice as she finally stopped struggling away from Edward, swiping the tears shamefully from her cheeks. "When I left Memphis I had time to think about my life and I worked a lot of stuff out. I'm tired of chasing someone who'll never give me a chance. I'm tired of watching everyone else fall in love. I'm tired of being the 'ex-con' who'll never be good enough for the one person, _the only person_, that I've ever cared about other than my family. There's someone out there for me. It might be Bree...it might not. But she's out there somewhere. Maybe there's a person for you too, Rose. There's probably someone willing to put up with your vain expectations and deep-seeded need to please your folks. I hope you find them and I hope they make you happy. Come on, Bree. I'll drive you home. I'm sure you're ready to get the hell out of here." Rose stared at Emmett in stunned silence, shocked by his words, tears running down her face.

"I am," Bree sniffed, tilting her chin up as Emmett placed his hands on her shoulders, navigating the two of them around Rose.

Rose stood there crying, Emmett avoiding her face as he went around her. Then something strange happened. Rose became desperate, a very un-Rose like emotion. She reached out, grabbing his shirt and tugging on it frantically as he tried to leave the room.

"Please, Emmett! Please don't leave!" she cried as he scowled, pulling away from her.

Emmett and Bree left the room with Bree shooting one last glare over her shoulder. Rose covered her face with her hands as she continued to sob. The room was deathly quiet, the angry and amused expressions suddenly turning to one of remorse as we all exchanged glances. I finally broke the tension filled silence.

"Want me to shoot her?" I asked Rose before taking the very last bite of Jasper's stolen pie.

Rose stopped crying, sniffed lightly and began giggling quietly before bursting into loud guffaws of laughter. The twins began fluttering around deep inside and I rubbed my swollen belly.

"No, Bella, I don't want you to shoot her," she sniffed, giving me a small smile as she gingerly picked up Bree's abandoned chair from the floor, sitting it upright.

She sat down and crossed her legs delicately at the ankles, going from hoodrat to high society in a matter of minutes. Edward stared down at her for a minute, probably wondering if she were about to flip out again and chase my brother down. He finally relaxed, easing around the table to take the seat next to me. I felt his hand creep beneath the table as he placed his hand over where mine once was, rubbing my belly tenderly.

"How could you leave without a word, ignore our calls and come back acting like some crazy bitch when you see the man you turned away with another woman?" Alice snapped, huffing as she glared at her best friend.

Rose looked ashamed of herself, hanging her head slightly before she met Alice's cool stare. "When Emmett left I felt as though my world came crashing down around me. All I could think about was getting him back and finding Claire. And I found her. She's still in foster care and my lawyer is working on placing her in my custody." Her face brightened considerably. Alice and I grinned excitedly at her, the anger and resentment of Rose leaving us immediately forgotten and forgiven.

"Does the lawyer think you'll get custody of her? Did you see her? Have you talked to your parents? Oh, my God! You did, didn't you? What did they say?" Alice babbled, jumping up and down in her chair excitedly.

"Yes, I spoke to them," Rose confessed with a sigh. "They're very angry about my decision, my father more so than my mother. I believe she's secretly wanted her grandchild in her life this entire time. My father is more concerned over tarnishing his reputation in the senate. After I convinced him that I wasn't budging on my decision, he decided to play the supportive role. Disowning me would look worse to the outside world than standing by my side."

Poor Rose. She looked so crestfallen as she voiced her parent's disapproval and her father's concern for his own name. In that moment I knew how lucky I was that Carlisle wasn't the person I'd previously assumed he was. "I'm sorry I didn't respond to your calls and texts. When I left I just wanted to leave everything behind and concentrate on my daughter."

"We're glad you're back," Jasper spoke up, shooting Alice a sly grin. "Now maybe you girls can help Alice plan the wedding next year. I'm lost when it comes to flower arrangements and place settings." We all laughed at his comment as he visibly shuddered, glancing around the table in confusion. "Hey, where'd my pie go." I dodged looking down at the extra plate sitting on top of mine by hastily changing the subject.

"So what are you gonna do about Emmett?" I asked, standing up and gathering everyone's small plates, including the one holding Emmett's destroyed pie.

"I...I don't know," Rose confessed, a frown upon her pretty face. "I know that I won't give up. He hounded me for months and if he thinks I'm letting him go without a fight, he's got another thing coming. I'm just as determined now as he was at one time."

"Good," I said with a nod, excusing myself as I left the dining room. Dumping the plates in the kitchen sink, I reached in my back pocket and removed my phone, shooting my brother a quick, sneaky text.

_Give Rose a second chance and I'll think about naming one of your nieces after you... -Bella-_

It was a low-down thing to do, using my unborn children to bribe my brother, but it worked. He responded almost immediately.

_You'll 'think about it'? I need something more concrete... -Em-_

I snorted after reading the text. My brother's sour mood obviously lifted, at least a little, since his departure. I quickly typed my response just as Edward noisily checked in on me as I'd been out of his presence for more than two minutes.

_Yes, I'll think about it. Now stop being an idiot and come get your woman before she leaves again and pulls an 'Emmett'. How would you feel if you'd came home after running off only to find Rose sitting at the dinner table with another man, enjoying your sister's Oreo pie? -Bella-_

"What are you doing, baby?" Edward asked, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

His hands slowly crept upwards as he nudged my neck with his nose, my head instantly bending to the side. He nibbled at the base of my neck, his lips and tongue slowly working their way up to my earlobe which he sucked into his mouth. I moaned as his hands found their way home, cupping my breasts and teasing my erect nipples. Edward pulled me against his body, his hardening cock pressing against me.

"Texting Emmett," I groaned as he began to slowly grind against me. My hands shook and I almost dropped the phone. That was the exact moment Emmett decided to finally respond.

_OMW. Don't let her leave. -Em-_

"I think I convinced him to give Rose a second chance," I said, sitting the phone on the island in front of me before my future husband's actions caused me to drop it.

"You want everyone as happy as you, don't you baby?" he whispered, massaging my breasts slightly harder, his breath tickling my ear. "That's one of the many reasons I love you so much. You always want the best for everyone."

Turning around, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up to capture his warm mouth. The taste of his mouth, his tongue, his breath causing me to whimper. Things were just starting to heat up when Alice interrupted.

"Ew, gag me with a spoon," she retched, pretending to dry heave as I broke free from Edward's kiss.

He gave me a crooked grin before pressing his lips sweetly against my forehead. Alice, Jasper and Rose stood by, all looking more than a little uncomfortable and mine and Edward's display of affection.

"Where are y'all going?" I asked, as a small degree of panic tinged my voice. If Rose left it'd completely ruin my plan of getting her and Emmett in a room together, alone, working their problems out.

"Nowhere. Rose wants to leave before Emmett gets back, but I told her to stop being a wuss, so I guess she's staying a bit longer. We were just wondering if you still wanted to go through the bridal magazines. Rose was just asking if you and Edward set a date yet," Alice said, ignoring Rose's haughty scowl at the mention of her being a 'wuss'.

I removed myself from Edward's embrace, giving him one last kiss on the cheek as he angrily muttered his protests. Assuring him that we'd continue where we left off in a bit, he relaxed, somewhat. He and Jasper disappeared around the corner, heading down to the basement, aka 'man-cave' to play very much-needed game of pool. I saw Jasper slap him on the back in a friendly way and heard the two of them laughing about something he said. Rose, Alice and I wandered into the living room, plopping down on the big couch as Alice grabbed just a few of the magazines from atop the massive stack piled on the coffee table. She passed them between the three of us and I finally answered Rose's question.

"I'm not sure when Edward and I will get married," I told my friends, shrugging as I thumbed through a glossy magazine full of women wearing outlandish looking designer wedding gowns. "We've been concentrating on the pregnancy so much that we really haven't discussed it very much." Rose nodded and the three of us quietly searched the magazines for a gown that fitted Alice's personality and style.

"I don't really like any of these dresses," Alice confessed, tossing one of the magazines on the coffee table with a frustrated sigh. "Mama's the one that wants me to wear pearls and a white gown. That's just not my style, whatsoever."

"So, what do you have in mind?" Rose asked, abandoning her book as well as she slid off her expensive heels and tucked her legs beneath her.

"I'm envisioning a princess cut dress with a full skirt, blue and purple in color with swarovski crystals embedded in the tulle. I can just see myself twirling around in that dress with a huge grin on my face. Jasper can wear a matching tux, of course," Alice mused aloud, a happy smile on her face.

It took all I had in me not to shudder at the picture of the dress that she painted in my mind. Poor Jasper. He'd wear that hideous matching tux just to make Alice happy, and he'd do it with a country boy grin on his face.

"Bella, what kind of dress do you have in mind?" Rose asked, interrupting Alice from her thoughts.

This was one question I could answer without hesitation. After Edward asked me to marry him, my mind traveled to the one dress, the one perfect dress that I'd marry him in.

"I'd like to marry him wearing my mother's dress," I told my friends quietly, as they watched my face with matching guarded expressions. My eyes traveled down to my lap where I picked at my ruined cuticles. "If the dress is even still around. When I was little my mama let me play dress-up in it. I'd put on her heels and walk around the house with the small train dragging behind me."

My voice wandered off as the happy memory played in my mind. I swallowed the lump in my throat, suddenly missing my mother very, very much. My cuticles forgotten, my hands found their way to my belly.

"If it was around, where would it be?" Alice asked curiously.

"Ummm...probably still at my parent's house. I remember my father having the dress professionally cleaned and preserved after she passed away, because I remember being so upset that I couldn't play in the dress any longer. The last time I saw the dress it was in a small closet." There was a long moment of silence as my friends processed my words and watched my face.

"You should go home and get your dress," Rose finally concluded, raising one eyebrow as I gave her an anxious look.

"I don't know if my father's out of rehab. I haven't talked to him in a long time," I argued, suddenly nervous at the prospect of speaking to the man who cared so little about me that he willingly let me live with his brother, knowing what a sick man Uncle Pete really was.

"Do you know where the hide-a-key is?" Alice asked, an evil grin on her little face. I nodded slowly, remembering the gold key hidden beneath a flower pot on the front porch.

"Yeah, if it's still there. Why?"

"I say we go to Mississippi and get your mother's wedding dress," Alice concluded, with Rose nodding in agreement.

"Y'all are crazy," I muttered, images of the three of us sneaking into my parent's house flashing through my mind. "Like I said, I don't want to speak to my father and I'm not even sure he's out of rehab yet. Hell, he might not even live there for all I know. Maybe he sold the house and moved somewhere else."

"Bella, do you want to marry Edward in your mother's wedding dress or not?" Rose asked, a serious expression on her face. I nodded and she said, "That's what I thought. We're going to Mississippi and taking that dress, with or without your father's approval."

"I agree," Alice said, standing and stretching as she yawned. "In fact, I'm going downstairs to tell my brother about our plans." She ignored my protest, leaving the room without a second glance. At that exact moment, I heard the sound of a door opening and then shutting somewhere nearby. Rose and I turned and watched as Emmett stepped quietly into the room, looking hesitantly at Rose, who looked just as unsure as him.

Emmett ran his fingers through his dark curls, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You wanna go somewhere and talk?" he asked. She nodded solemnly and the two of them left the room. I watched as they made their way up the winding staircase, Emmett ahead of Rose. Smiling, I imagined it wouldn't take too long for the two of them to work out their problems.

Wandering downstairs, I found Edward, Jasper and Alice engaged in an intense conversation near the pool table. Edward's eyes darted to mine as I walked into the room and the conversation suddenly ceased, as Alice and Jasper turned to see me walk in.

"Okay, it's so not obvious that you're not talking about me," I said in a snarky voice, propping my hand on my hip.

"We were talking about Rose and Emmett, sugar," Jasper drawled, placing his cue stick back in the holder attached to the wall. He dusted off his hands, the blue chalk smearing across his fingers before he walked over to the kitchen area and rinsed them under the tap. "Alice is wore out. I'm taking her home and I'll be back later."

The two of them left shortly after that, leaving Edward and I alone in the basement. He leaned against the counter near the sink, giving me a sexy smirk as his eyes trailed up and down my body. Edward made it no secret that he continued to find me attractive.

"You know what I've been thinking about since touching you in the kitchen?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and licking his pink lips. The action sent shock waves right down _there_ and I shifted uncomfortably where I stood, the familiar tingles starting yet again.

"What?" I asked, shoving a thumbnail in my mouth as he continued to stare at me as though I were something to eat.

"I've been thinking about that time we were in that shitty apartment of yours. Do you remember sitting on that counter? I wanted to lick you so bad...and then the baby started crying," his voice slowly trailed off.

"Yes, I remember."

"That's an unfulfilled fantasy, Bella. And that just won't do," he concluded, his eyes still lingering on my body. My mouth began to water. Excitement and anticipation ran through my veins, as it always did at the thought of some steamy Edward Cullen time.

"Take off your clothes," he demanded, in that voice full of authority that I craved so much. "Slowly." I did as he said, gradually pulling the shirt I wore over my head and tossing my leggings to the side, leaving me in nothing but my light blue panties and bra.

"Turn around," he commanded. I did as he asked, taking my time as I casually spun around a few times.

"Damn, baby. You are so fucking sexy," he whispered. His cock began to harden and press against the front of his jeans. "Take off your underwear."

Teasingly, with a smirk on my face, I slowly pulled down one bra strap, and then the other before unclasping my bar and tossing it on the pool table. He stared at my breasts, his eyes darkening and his Adam's apple bobbing. Very carefully, I shimmied out of my panties, kicking them towards him after they landed at my feet. He reached down, picking them up and pressing them near his nose, causing me to whimper.

"You smell so good, baby. Tell me something. Do you want me to make love to you, or do you want me to fuck you?" he asked, his voice as smooth and sweet as honey. It didn't take me long to reply. Edward had been nothing but gentle with me since finding out about the twins. I missed the thrill of being thoroughly fucked.

"I want you to fuck me, Edward," I told him quietly, watching as he gave me a crooked smirk.

"Come here," he told me, shoving my forgotten underwear in his pocket.

I crossed the room and was only a foot away when he became impatient, grabbing my hands and drawing me fully against him. I squeaked in surprise when he hoisted me up on the counter behind him, as though I weighed nothing at all. He shoved my legs open wide, his hands on my feet pressing them firmly against the counter. Without warning, he plunged two long fingers deep inside.

"Ahhhhhhh!" I moaned as he pumped in and out viciously, shooting me a grin.

With his other hand, he began rubbing my clit with his thumb in firm, hard circles as he continued to finger me, an embarrassing wet sucking sound filling the air along with my pleasured moans and his heavy breathing.

"You like it when I finger your pussy, don't you baby?" he asked, pausing from stroking my clit as he spread me open.

He didn't wait for my stuttered response. His hot tongue found my clit, flicking and licking and sucking, as his long fingers feverishly found my hidden spot deep inside. Grabbing the copper-colored stands of his hair, I screamed, quivering, coming over and over as I heard him sucking away at my body.

"You taste good too," he purred, giving my now sensitive clit one last lick before he brought his face from between my legs. "You're too far up on the counter for me to fuck you. I say we christen the pool table."

He helped me up on the pool table, tossing his clothes to the side and I stared hungrily at his big, long, hard cock that stood up at attention. He smirked, grabbing my hips and pulling me against the edge of the table. It wasn't the most comfortable place to make love, but I forgot all about my sore ass when Edward slapped his cock against my pussy a couple of times, teasing and thrilling me. He slammed himself inside of me, a scream leaving my lips as he began plowing into my pussy.

"You feel good too," he groaned, reaching down and teasing my clit.

He liked watching me play with my tits, so I did, staring up at him with hooded eyes as I rolled my hard nipples between my fingers. He slapped his body against mine, grunting and cursing, the words leaving his mouth and the feeling of his thumb flicking my clit causing me to scream and orgasm yet again.

"Fuck!" he yelled, his speed picking up, his jaw clenching.

He came inside of me hard, the string of profanities leaving his lips the entire time. I gasped for breath, the air in the basement hot and smelling of sex. Edward stayed pressed against me, running his hands up and down the front of my thighs until his cock soften and slipped from within me. I pouted in disappointment and he grinned, helping me down from the pool table.

"Go get cleaned up," he whispered, kissing me softly on the lips. "I'll try to find something to clean this mess up with." Furrowing my brow, I followed his finger to where he pointed and groaned at the mess we left on the pool table.

"Gross," I shuddered, rolling my eyes as he snickered proudly.

He would be happy to leave our mark somewhere. Grabbing my clothes, except for my stolen panties, of course, I went into the bathroom and cleaned myself up as well as I could, redressing and joining Edward where he sat, fully dressed, on a nearby couch. Tucking myself in at his side, we spent the rest of the night quietly enjoying an old black and white movie, eventually falling asleep together on the couch.

I woke the next morning rubbing the sleep from my eyes, confused over my whereabouts. Glancing around the room, I remembered the night before and wondered where Edward had gone. He wasn't in the basement. Standing, yawning and stretching, I made my way to the elevator, too lazy to walk up the one flight upstairs. Pathetic, I know. I found Edward in the kitchen upstairs, busily cooking breakfast, no eggs in sight. He noticed me entering the room and shot me an apologetic smile.

"I was trying to finish cooking so it'd be ready when you woke up."

"That's so sweet, baby, but I'd rather woken up with your arms wrapped around me," I told him, my eyes raking over his body. There wasn't a chance to respond, because his sister entered the room smiling at my confused face.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Packing your shit," she responded breezily as she snatched a piece of bacon from the pile that Edward created on a nearby plate. She avoided his swatting hand, walking around the bar and daintily perching on a bar stool beside me.

"What do you mean, packing my shit?"

"She means, dear sister," a deep, happy voice boomed as my brother entered the room, his arm wrapped around the waist of a slightly disheveled looking Rose. My eyebrows shot up to my forehead as I gaped at the two of them, Emmett with a shit-eating grin on his face and Rose looking slightly bashful wearing that stupid bacon shirt and his oversized boxers. "She means," Emmett continued, placing his hands on Rose's waist and he led her to a nearby bar stool. "She's packing your shit because we don't know how long we'll be in Mississippi. Hopefully Charlie's home from rehab and will let us grab that wedding dress without putting up too much of a fight. But we're all packing a suitcase just in case he freaks out about those buns you got in the oven there." He nodded his head towards my belly. Alice or Rose obviously filled him in on my desire to snatch the wedding dress.

"I can't even wear the dress until the babies are born," I argued to my uncaring family.

They ignored my protests and I watched as my cousin entered the room, wearing ripped jeans, a gray shirt and a hemp looking necklace. The handle of his beretta was visible in the waistband of his jeans and I demanded to know why he was packing heat.

Giving Alice a quick peck on the cheek, smiling as her eyes shone happily up at him, he turned to me said, "There's one thing I've learned in this life, sugar. Sometimes it's hard to convince someone to do the right thing. But I've found that having a gun nearby usually helps."

Shaking my head, I sighed heavily, leaning my elbows on the bar and dropping my face in my hands. It looked like we were going back home...a home I never wanted to see again. I could only hope that Charlie wasn't there when we arrived, but something deep inside told me that he was.

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Review please :)


	29. Chapter 29: I'm Coming Home

_Previously, in Chapter 28..._

_Giving Alice a quick peck on the cheek, smiling as her eyes shone happily up at him, he turned to me said, "There's one thing I've learned in this life, sugar. Sometimes it's hard to convince someone to do the right thing. But I've found that having a gun nearby usually helps." _

_Shaking my head, I sighed heavily, leaning my elbows on the bar and dropping my face in my hands. It looked like we were going back home...a home I never wanted to see again. I could only hope that Charlie wasn't there when we arrived, but something deep inside told me that he was._

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: I'm Coming Home**

Now if there's one thing I can tell you about Jasper Swan, aka, Jasper Whitlock, it's this; he's the most laid-back, easy-going person you'll ever meet. But sometimes, and it only happens once and awhile, he gets this glint in his eyes. It's a scary glint, the type of sparkle that let's you know something's not working correctly in the deep alcoves of his brain. Jasper had that vaguely familiar glint in his eye the day we left Germantown for our old home...the day we left for Masen, Mississippi.

While everyone engrossed themselves with loading their belongings into Jasper and Emmett's vehicles, I grabbed Edward's hand, giving him a silent plea to follow me as I pulled him back into the house. He gave me a questioning stare, but followed me anyway because he always did, follow me, that is. When we made it into the house, I glanced behind him. Jasper was leaning against the shiny black Charger, smirking at something Alice said before she gave him a lingering kiss. I shut the door and gave Edward a hasty run-down.

"Now, don't freak out...but Jasper gets in these...moods once and a while," I started, watching as his brow wrinkled at my words. "He does some...unexpected things when he gets in these moods. You know he'd never do anything to hurt any of us, right?" He nodded. "Good. I don't know how or why he gets in these moods, but I'm sure it has something to do with going back to our old stomping grounds. Just...don't freak out and hit him or something. Promise me you'll stay calm, okay?" Edward suddenly chuckled.

"Bella, nothing Jasper says or does shocks me anymore. Now, let's get on the road. We've got a long drive to Masen." And with that he slapped me on the ass, causing me to let out a squeak. I glared at him then shook my head in disappointment. He had no clue.

We loaded up in our respective vehicles, Emmett and Rose in his big, white pickup truck and Jasper, Alice, Edward and I in the Charger. I'd put up a meek argument with Jasper about riding with Emmett and Rose, claiming more leg room, which wasn't a total lie, but Jasper silenced me with one stern look, telling me quietly that he wanted me by his side when we returned to our hometown. I nodded numbly and climbed into the Charger behind Edward, who gave Jasper a wary stare. Because of our argument or that he continued to have his gun visible in his waistband, I wasn't sure. The tension in the car was thick post-argument, and Alice glanced nervously at the three of us. When we hit open road on the outskirts of Memphis, Jasper visibly relaxed, cracking open the window slightly to let the late February breeze into the car. It felt nice, especially since it was nearly seventy degrees outside.

We hit highway 78 and were about thirty miles from our exit when Jasper started getting antsy. Realizing I wasn't wearing my seat belt, I reached for it, clasping it firmly above my baby bump and directed Edward to do the same. He looked at me strangely as I thoroughly chewed my bottom lip off, but did as I said. Within moments Edward learned exactly what I'd warned him about. Jasper pressed the chrome gas pedal, the engine yelling in protest and pulling us forward, my body feeling as though it were glued backseat. I simply held on to the back of Alice's headrest, gritting my teeth so hard I felt as though they might break. Alice began screaming, but it was in hysterical pleasure, nothing like her brother's screams.

"What the fuck are you doing!" Edward yelled, his face red as Jasper shot Edward an evil smirk, revving his engine, the Hemmy making the car hum and vibrate. My heart was pounding in overdrive, but I knew it was just the beginning. The air blasting through the half-opened window whipped my hair around, the strands slapping me across the face, stinging my skin in its wake. Jasper ignored Edward's yells and protests, a lopsided grin on his face. We were just a few miles from the off-ramp we needed to exit when I saw the blue lights.

"And they say everything's slower in the south," Jasper drawled, with a grin. My clammy hand somehow left the headrest and found Edward's, which was shaking, more in anger than anything else. I gave him a solemn look, letting him know without speaking that I'd warned him of my cousin's strange mood. Edward glowered at Jasper from the backseat, only calming down somewhat when Jasper slowed down. We hit the exit ramp, took several dirt roads, dust billowing behind us and eventually lost the cops who never really stood a chance anyway. Jasper slowed the car down when we hit Masen, whistling that same tune from the _Kill Bill_ movie...you know the one? The same tune Elle Driver, aka, California Mountain Snake whistled when she disguised herself as a nurse and prepared to inject The Bride with deadly poison? Yeah, he was whistling that creepy-ass tune the entire time we drove through our old hometown.

"What do y'all say about a bite to eat?" Jasper asked casually, pulling up at the local greasy spoon as though nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. "A good car chase always makes me hungry."

Emmett's truck pulled up beside the Charger, Emmett's face glancing warily at my fiancé. Edward eventually calmed down during the meal, but continued to cast my cousin murderous stares. Jasper simply smiled sweetly, popping mayonnaise-drenched french fries in his mouth. We elicited quite of few curious stares as we ate our meal, especially from a waitress named Flo who knew my father very well from his many stops there before my mother's death. She smiled kindly at me, but I saw the look in her eyes...the remembrance of the things that happened to me in the past, the trial involving my kidnap and rape, my father's departure from his job as chief of police. This was one of many reasons I hadn't wanted to return to my hometown. Her gaze reminded me of a time when Jasper, Emmett and I were the talk of the town. We were those poor kids caught up in a bad situation. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Edward sensed my unease and placed a hand lovingly on my knee beneath the table, introducing himself to our waitress as my husband. She beamed at me, gushing and cooing over my slightly expanded waist, which was now fully visible to anyone who looked my way. Flo told me she was proud of me, and I heard the sincerity in her voice. I smiled politely, but was a little peeved that Edward didn't just tell the truth. We weren't married, after all. But when I looked into his green eyes, I knew exactly why he introduced himself as my husband. He loved me and was protecting me from the judgment of others.

"So, where to next?" Emmett asked, releasing a big belch as he rubbed his belly. Rose scowled at his side, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms as he gave her a big goofy grin. He grabbed her face, planting a kiss on her cheek and was instantly forgiven, or at least I thought he was by the smile Rose failed to hide.

"Anywhere that doesn't involve me or my family killed in a car wreck," Edward muttered, still angry at my cousin.

"We were never in any danger," Jasper shrugged, looking cool and confident with his words. "I barely broke the speed limit." I'd avoiding looking at the speedometer, but doubted he'd gone very far over the speed limit. Jasper could get kinda crazy but he'd never intentionally put anyone in harm's way. Edward said nothing, simply narrowing his eyes at my cousin and clenching his jaw in aggravation.

"I say let's go out to Uncle Charlie's and get that dress," Jasper said, twirling a butter knife on the table in front of him. "Then I'd like to stop and see my mama..."

"You can see her while we stop at the cemetery," I suggested, nodding towards Emmett. "I'd like to stop to visit my mother and grandparent's graves, if that's alright with y'all." There was no need for me to speak my thoughts aloud. Jasper knew I didn't want to see Aunt Charlotte. I was still bitter after all these years by the way she let her husband treat us like a couple of puppets. Jasper forgave her a long time ago, just as I had, but that didn't change the fact that she allowed it to happen. One day I'd see her again, but it wasn't that day.

"That's fine. I'd like her to meet Alice before we get hitched next year," he said, smiling at his nervous fiancé who sat by his side. Aunt Charlotte considered herself a good, conservative woman, and I could only imagine the look on her face when she met her future daughter-in-law for the first time. Alice's tattoos were on full display that day, which was one of many reasons we kept getting nosey stares from the old men at a nearby table as they leaned back sipping their coffee.

The table full of old men dropped their stares to the coffee-soaked biscuits in front of them as Jasper stood and stretched, fully exposing the gun tucked securely in the waistband of his jeans. We left the café and headed to the outskirts of town, eventually pulling up to the house I once called home. It was an old two-story with a small porch out front. The white paint was more of a dull beige and was peeling in some places. Mama's flowerbeds were barren and held nothing but dead weeds. There was no vehicle sitting out front and my eyes searched the small porch looking for that familiar flower-pot, only to disappointingly find it missing.

"The flower-pot is missing," I murmured as Jasper cut the engine. "The key was hidden beneath the flowerpot." We sat in the car a long time, Emmett and Rose sitting in Emmett's truck beside us.

Jasper finally sighed and said, "Bella, how do you feel about breaking and entering?"

"Impartial," I mumbled, receiving a crooked grin from my cousin who slid from the car. Alice, Edward and I exchanged knowing glances and exited the vehicle, following his confident gait to the front porch. Emmett and Rose fell in step behind us and we all watched as Jasper opened the screen door and began banging on the heavy, hunter green front door. We waited for several anxious minutes. I chewed my thumbnail down expecting my father to open the door any second and pop his head out, but no one came. Eventually, Jasper became impatient and removed something from his pocket, placing it in the keyhole and wiggling it around a bit. The door popped open with ease, and Jasper stood back, making a sweeping gesture with his hands.

Entering the house the first thing I noticed was the smell. When my mother was alive the house constantly smelled nice, like cookies and cake. Now it smelled musky, like mildew and old socks. Wrinkling my nose, I ignored my surroundings, too scared to see if the living room continued to contain photographs of me before the age of ten or the various works of art my parents once displayed proudly before my mother slipped deeper in depression and my father released me to my uncle. I drifted through the house, a ghost of the child I once was, straight to the stairs and to the tiny guest room on the right. I studiously avoided my old bedroom...and my parent's bedroom, where I'd found my mother dead. That was a band-aid that wasn't quite ready to have ripped off just yet. It was in the guest bedroom where I found my mother's wedding dress, still hanging where my father left it years ago in the white garment bag. The familiar hum of electricity I felt when Edward was nearby suddenly surrounded me. He wrapped his arms around my bulging waist and watched silently as I pulled the zipper down on the garment bag.

There it was...my mother's wedding dress. Tiny pearls covered the fitted bodice in swirls and intricate designs, ending above the waist. The sleeves lacey and out at the cuffs. The skirt was simple and plain, but flowed out into a small train and memories of tripping on my mother's heels wearing that very same dress brought tears to my eyes. Pressing the satin to my nose, I could almost smell her favorite perfume, but I knew it was probably my imagination because the dress was cleaned and preserved since she'd last worn it.

"It's beautiful," Edward whispered, kissing me sweetly on my cheek as he suddenly swayed the two of us back and forth. "I can imagine you wearing it on our wedding day. Why haven't we gotten married yet, baby? Are we waiting on the twins to arrive? Is it really that important that you're not pregnant when we get married?"

"I don't want to look back on my wedding photos and look so...pregnant," I muttered. Was I being vain? Yes, it was completely vain.

"Why not? I've never seen you look more gorgeous than you do now," he murmured in my ear. "Pregnancy suits you. Maybe we should get you pregnant again right away." Those words caused me to elbow him in his ribs and he grimaced and then laughed. Frowning and rolling my eyes, a sudden commotion downstairs abruptly stopped any further conversation of weddings and babies. A familiar male voice was shouting and a thrill of dread shot through my veins.

"That's my daddy," I whispered, zipping the garment bag with shaky hands and tucking it over one arm. Edward's eyes flashed in anger, but he recovered quickly, giving me an encouraging yet wavering smile.

"I guess it's time to meet my future father-in-law," he said, his Adam's apple bobbing in anticipation. Overcome with nerves, we walked hand in hand downstairs to find my father, or what was left of my father, hollering at Jasper who leaned casually against a nearby wall, his back pressing against the faded flowery wallpaper.

"You can't just break into a man's house while he's gone! That a good way to get yourself shot, boy!" Daddy hollered, his face red and a vein bulging in his neck, reminding me of Edward. He still looked the same, somewhat. His brown hair held more gray now, especially at the temples, and he didn't have as much of it as he once did. The tan he normally kept was gone and replaced with a more sallow look. Once a robust man, he now looked slightly gaunt, his bones more pronounced beneath his skin.

"Hey, Daddy," I whispered. Charlie's voice immediately halted. Turning to me his eyes locked with mine, identical in color. They were deep chocolate brown, the pupils practically lost in their dark depths. He swallowed, hard, his eyes darting from mine to Edward who stood protectively at my side, his face neutral. Charlie's gaze finally landed on my belly and his face paled even more.

"I think we'll sit outside and enjoy the weather," Jasper drawled, gesturing for Alice, Emmett and Rose to follow him. He shot me one last look before he walked out that door, a look that told me everything I needed to know. He'd be outside, within earshot, and wouldn't hesitate to come back inside if need be. I gave him a slight nod and he walked through the doorway, leaving the door wide open as he disappeared, one again whistling that creepy tune.

There was a long silence as we all glanced at one another uncomfortably. Well, Charlie and I looked uncomfortable. Edward looked indifferent, but I knew it was just a mask. He wanted things to go well between Charlie and I...and hopefully with him as well. Charlie's mustache twitched as he finally broke the silence, asking if we'd like to sit down in the den. I nodded and we followed him to the den, my eyebrows darting up in surprise as I noticed my old photographs still hanging on the walls, albeit a little crooked, but clean of dust and otherwise untouched.

Charlie leaned back in his recliner as Edward and I sat, hand in hand, on the love seat. His mustache twitched and he began slowly rubbing it, an old habit that I remembered fondly. My palms became sweaty at his assessment of the two of us, but I told myself that it didn't matter if he felt shame by the fact that his daughter was pregnant and unmarried. Valuable opinions of Charlie Swan were lost about twelve years ago. So, when he opened his mouth as spoke, his words stunned me.

"Bella," his gruff voice croaked. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I'm...I'm so happy to see you. You don't know how long I've dreamed of this day. Although I don't understand why you thought it was a good idea to break into the house knowing I tote a gun around." He ceased speaking to chuckle briefly. "Either way, I'm glad you stopped by. And it's nice to meet your friend, Mr..."

"Cullen, sir," Edward said, standing and reaching out to shake Charlie's hand. Charlie stared at it for a second, before clamping it with his own, giving it a firm shake. "But please, call me Edward. And Bella and I are more than friends. We're engaged to be married."

"And having twin girls," I blurted. There. It was out there in the open. Edward sat back down and we watched my father's face as he paled a bit more, his mustache twitching yet again.

"Twins, huh? So you're saying I'm a granddaddy?"

"If you'd like," I told him softly, thinking of Carlisle's words. _Doesn't the twins deserve to know their grandfather? _I told myself I was doing this for the girls, but a tiny part of me knew that I was also doing it for myself.

Charlie sat back in that old recliner for a long time, staring intently at me, a look of remorse and regret on his face. "I'd like that very much, Bella," he said, his voice breaking as he said my name. "I finished rehab just before Thanksgiving but they still make me see a head doctor. Psychiatrist. Whatever the hell they're called. I've worked out a lot of my demons. When Renee died it was like she took a part of me with her. It was easy to give up, to let you go, to stop caring about life. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret letting you go...letting you live with my brother. And when I think back to all the things you went through, the kidnapping, the trial. I wasn't there for any of that. How could a father do that to his little girl? I beat myself up every day for the things I've done wrong in my life. Bella, I'd like to be a part of the twin's life, but your life as well. I missed out on all those years with my baby girl and I know I'll never get them back, but I'll try for the rest of my life to earn your forgiveness, if you'll let me." The air was heavy with his words and filled with a thick silence as I slowly processed what he said. Isn't this what I wanted? Wasn't there always a small part of me that yearned for my father's love. And he did love me. I saw it in his eyes and he attempted to covertly wipe away a couple of tears.

"Yes, I'd like that," I murmured and a small smile escaped the depths of his mustache, which I'd fondly called a 'lip-beard' as a small child. It was then he noticed the garment bag in my lap and he questioned me about it. Hesitantly, I explained that the real reason I'd returned home was to search for my mother's wedding dress. Charlie nodded, excusing himself from the room as Edward and I exchanged worried glances. He returned a few minutes later, a large cardboard box balanced precariously against his body. Edward jumped up to help him and Charlie gave him a small, thankful smile. The two men placed the box on the coffee table and I peered at it inquisitively. The first thing I noticed was my old bb gun, the first real weapon I'd ever known. It looked almost brand new and I shot my father a questioning look.

"It's full of some of your stuff that I hung on to over the years," my father said, hovering near the love seat, running his fingers nervously over his mustache. "There's some of your old books in there, your bb gun, some photo albums of you and your...your mother. I thought you'd like to take those with you along with the dress." A lump formed in my throat. He'd kept my things after all this time. And he was freely giving me my mother's wedding dress. I'd been almost sure he wouldn't. I found myself setting the dress to the side and crossing the room to give him a hesitant hug. He patted my back, somewhat awkwardly at first, before pulling me fully to him, a gasping sob breaking forth. He cried openly in my arms and I eventually joined him, the awkwardness passing from him, replaced by nothing but regret and relieved love.

We spent a few more hours with Charlie. He and Edward got to know each other a little better while I struggled getting to know the new Charlie who sat in front of me. We parted ways later that day with plans for Charlie to drive to Germantown in a couple of weeks to stay for a visit. Charlie shook Japer's hand and gave Emmett a half-hug, instructing him to tell his mother hello for him. Emmett's mother moved up north after her divorce from my father. They'd made a good couple if he'd just left my mother in the past and moved on with his life. We stopped at the cemetery where the Swan family was buried. It was out in the country, a massive graveyard with an old white church standing nearby. After visiting the graves of my mother and grandparents, I wandered up the big hill toward the church. My father had told me, before we left his house, that the church hadn't been in use by the public in years. It still held an old, wooden upright piano that I remembered as a child. I'd assumed the church was probably built in the thirties, but was unsure. The church was white clapboard and originally just held one, big room. A bathroom was added on sometime since my youth. I knew all this because I climbed the small, wooden steps and twisted the knob, entering the church as though it belonged to me.

"They left it unlocked!" Edward gasped, falling in step behind me. I rolled my eyes and snickered.

"Of course they leave it unlocked. What are people gonna steal? The pews?" He glared at me but didn't respond. We walked down the middle aisle, my fingers trailing along each pew I passed. When we reached the front of the church I turned around and sighed, contented.

"Now this is what I envision when I think about getting married," I confessed, biting my bottom lip and glancing shyly at my fiancé. Smiling a crooked smile, he pulled me into his arms and gazed around the room studiously.

"Let's do it," he whispered, his lips trailing up my neck doing treacherous things to my body...things that shouldn't happen in the Lord's church. "When you finally decide to marry me, let's do it here. It's the perfect place for a small wedding, just as you desire."

"Is...is it alright that I want a small wedding?" I asked worriedly, not wanting to come across as impassive with Edward's own wishes for our wedding ceremony.

"Baby, I could care less where we get married, as long as I get to claim you as mine for the rest of our lives," he replied, turning me around in his arms to stare into my eyes intently. "I love you, Isabella Swan. And it makes no difference if we get married in a cathedral, in a small country church or at the court-house in front of the justice of peace." He gave me a long, sinful kiss that caused simultaneous shame and desire, considering our surrounds. I broke the kiss, giggling as he growled, pulling him from the church and into the sunlight. Emmett and Rose emerged from the large cemetery, navigating their way so quickly through the monuments and headstones that I knew immediately something was wrong. They arrived in front of us beneath an ancient oak tree, the two of them breathless but beaming. Emmett pulled Rose into a hug and tears formed in her eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked as Edward and I gazed nervously at the two of them. Rose grinned, waving her phone around and practically bouncing in place, reminding me instantly of Alice.

"My lawyer called!" she shrieked, shocking me by grabbing me up in a hug. I cringed at the motion and she let me go immediately, apologizing and touching my belly. "I'm sorry! I'm just so excited!"

"What did he say?" Edward asked, drawing me close as the two of us watched our over-exuberant friend. She and Emmett smiled at each other happily as he pulled her against his large, muscular frame.

"Thirty days!" she laughed, her blonde waves bouncing. "Claire will officially be mine in thirty days! What will I do for the next thirty days?"

"Easy," I replied, giving her a massive grin. "This calls for an epic shopping trip of Alice Cullen proportions."

"Oh, God!" she whispered, her face paling. "You're right! She'll need clothes and bedding and toys and..." she babbled on and on as I nodded with a grin.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked impatiently, suddenly anxious to get home. "I don't know why y'all packed. It's time to grab Alice and Jasper and get the hell out of Mississippi."

And so we did. We met up with Alice and Jasper at that same greasy spoon and hit the road for our two hour trip back home...to my real home, in Germantown, Tennessee. It would soon be home to Claire, as well, and I wondered, as I slowly drifted to sleep on my fiance's shoulder, what was in store for us with the tiny freckle-faced girl. It wouldn't be long before I found out.

* * *

Thanks to my new reviewer who pushed my reviews over 800 (Plaidpantz)! Yayyyyy! I love y'all more than sweet tea...well, almost :)

Y'all don't be too hard on old Jasper. He really couldn't help himself. I mean, it is a_ Charger_ after all! The General Lee never backs down! Plus, Jasper's kinda like the Honey Badger...he just doesn't give a **** :) Now who's ready to meet Claire and maybe get a piece of baby shower cake?

Have a happy and safe weekend! I'll be speeding down 78 trying to make it to work on time...wish I had a Charger to do that in :(

Review please :)


	30. Chapter 30: Cake and Nipple Cream

_Previously, in Chapter Twenty-Nine..._

_We met up with Alice and Jasper at that same greasy spoon and hit the road for our two hour trip back home...to my real home, in Germantown, Tennessee. It would soon be home to Claire, as well, and I wondered, as I slowly drifted to sleep on my fiance's shoulder, what was in store for us with the tiny freckle faced girl. It wouldn't be long before I found out._

**Chapter Thirty: Cake and Nipple Cream**

It was early one sunny March morning when I finally lost my freaking mind.

The morning started as typical as any other; Edward left for work early, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead, laughing as I grabbed his suit jacket. Struggling to open my blurry eyes, I begged him to get back in bed beside me, always missing his warmth, his smell, and his presence in general while he was gone. And as always, he'd murmur his apologies, explaining that the earlier he left in the mornings the earlier he could come home in the afternoon. Sighing, I let him go, feeling overwhelmingly guilty that my fiancé put a stop to my breakfast cooking ritual, explaining to me that the twins and I needed all the rest we could get. I'd pout for a few minutes after he left, but inevitably, I'd always fall back asleep, wrapping myself in the thick comforter and wiggling my toes against our Egyptian cotton sheets.

Around mid-morning I finally arose, trudging into the bathroom and practically moaning in pleasure once the warm water fell from the overhead shower. Snatching a thick towel, I wrapped it around my body and dried off in front of the mirror, casually glancing at my rapidly changing frame.

Big mistake.

Choking down a scream as I stared into the mirror, I quickly dried off, pacing myself as I left the bathroom after throwing on my underwear. Being a natural-born klutz made pregnancy a million times more terrifying because I was constantly worried about tripping and hurting the twins. Slowly, I made my way out of the bathroom, throwing on a pair of red yoga pants and a t-shirt, grabbing my cell phone from the night-stand and immediately dialing the one person I knew could help me.

"Hey, Sweetie!" the voice cooed into the phone. I took a few slow, deep breaths, trying to calm myself before I actually spoke.

"Can you come over?" I asked, my voice sounding tiny and scared, immediately sending her into a tizzy until I quietly explained the situation.

"I'm on my way, sweetie. Don't you worry about a thing, okay?"

Mumbling some vague response, I hung up and sat on the edge of the bed, biting away what little thumbnail I had left. The gold mirror hanging directly across from me on the bedroom wall showed a frightened girl, her hair hanging in wet clumps around her face and running past her shoulders. Sighing, I abandoned my worries and concentrated on brushing my damp hair, forcing my mind to go blank. It wasn't until I heard the doorbell ring that I realized I'd brushed my hair for over thirty minutes. Tossing the brush on the vanity I left the room, arriving in the foyer just as Sam opened the front door.

My future mother-in-law entered the room wearing a pretty spring dress, her caramel hair curled and styled in big, elegant locks. A small cardboard box was clutched in her hands and she shooed Sam off with one hard stare as he tried to help her carry it. After giving me a confused glance he shrugged, strolling out of the room and leaving Esme and I to ourselves.

"You poor thing," she said, giving me a knowing, yet sympathetic smile. "Come on. Let's go to the bathroom and see how bad it really is. I'm sure you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Oh, it's bad," I muttered as I led the way through the bedroom and into the large bathroom. Esme dropped the cardboard box on the counter near the sink and put her hands on her hips, staring at me expectantly. Sighing, I pulled up my shirt and pulled down the waistband of my pants before pointing near my belly button. Leaning over, Esme carefully examined my abdomen before eventually standing up straight and staring me right in the eyes.

"It's not that bad," she said in a calm voice, raising on eyebrow as she dared me to argue. At first I opened my mouth, but quickly shut and chewed on my bottom lip, knowing it was best not to argue with Esme Cullen. She was as sweet as molasses but could also get as mean as a yard dog.

"Bella, most women get stretch marks when they're pregnant," she explained, her no-nonsense face finally turning compassionate. "You're a small girl who's pregnant with twins! Did you really think you could avoid getting stretch marks? I thought you and Edward were reading those pregnancy books he bought y'all."

"We are," I moaned, feeling vain and miserable all at once as I dropped the lid of the toilet and sat down on it. "I don't know. For some reason it just shocked me to actually _see_ them. It's stupid. I'm sorry for calling you in a panic, I just sorta freaked out when I saw them."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about the four _extremely tiny_ stretch marks you have," she said, rolling her eyes as I scowled up at her. "But I went out and grabbed you something that may help stop any more from popping up." Reaching into the cardboard box, she removed a white jar with a pink lid and handed it to me. Taking it from her hand, I unscrewed the top and took a small sniff, practically gagging at the smell before hurriedly replacing the lid.

"I know it smells awful," she said in an apologetic voice. "But it's the only thing that helped me with stretch marks when I was pregnant with the kids. Put it on every morning after your shower and put it on before you go to sleep. Don't just rub it on your belly either. You need to put it on your hips, thighs and breasts as well, because you may have some stretch marks come up in those places as well."

I stared at her in horror, my mouth gaping open like a fish. Esme physically reached out and pushed my jaw shut, effectively closing my mouth. Tears formed in my eyes as I stared down at the jar of cocoa butter. Sniffing, I brushed the tears away with the back of my hand.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Esme asked, taking the jar from me and placing it back in the box. Grabbing my hands, she pulled me to my feet and gave me a motherly hug, which caused me to cry even harder.

"It's not just the stretch marks," I admitted after a short pause, my face pressed against her shoulder as she patted my back. "It just dawned on me how quickly things are changing. Pretty soon I'll be a mother. I'm scared."

Esme pulled away from me, but placed her hand on my arms staring intently in my eyes. "You're right. Things are changing and your life will never be the same again. It'll be so much better."

"It will?" I whispered, in a weak, hesitant voice.

"Yes," she said, nodding her head firmly. "The stretch marks, constant trips to the bathroom, the lower back pain and swollen ankles are nothing compared to the feeling you'll have when you hear the babies first cries or see their perfect little faces for the first time. Think of pregnancy as a battle and the birth of your children as your greatest victory. And those stretch marks? Those are battle scars."

"I'm scared," I admitted, watching as she gave me a soft, gentle smile.

"That's great," she whispered, tucking a damp strand of hair behind my ear. "I'd be concerned if you _weren't_ worried, darling."

"Edward says I shouldn't worry so much. It's not good for my health or the babies."

Esme snorted, then chuckled lightly. "Honey, I know this may sound awful, but sometimes you must simply smile and nod when your man talks. Try to look interested while you do it. That always helps."

My face finally broke into a smile and Esme's eyes lit up at the sight. She gave me one last hug before turning and moving the box of cocoa butter beneath the sink, placing one jar on the counter. Nodding towards it, she shot me one last smile before leaving the room and quietly pulling the door shut behind her. Heaving a sigh, I did as she asked, working the cream into my skin and later joining her in the kitchen where she stood busily baking a batch of biscuits and a plate full of sausage. Jasper and Emmett eventually wandered downstairs, the wonderful aroma beckoning them to the dining room. I studiously ignored Emmett and Esme's flirtatious conversation, rolling my eyes as Jasper smirked at the two of them, biscuit crumbs stuck on his bottom lip.

Esme stayed the rest of the day, prattling on and on about the twins while she helped me clean the house. In actuality, it was her who cleaned the house. Every time I went to fold laundry or load the dishwasher, she'd pop up, brushing my hands to the side as she chatted away, taking over whatever menial task I was doing. She ignored my protests and I all could do was shake my head and frown as she basically scolded me for having so much house work to do, telling me that we desperately needed a housekeeper. Edward tried to hire someone to clean the house, but I'd refused, feeling guilty at the thought of having someone come in and clean while I lounged around doing nothing. I voiced my thoughts to Esme and she simply stared at me, looking proud yet disappointed all at the same time.

She was still there when Edward came home from the office. Esme and I were arguing in the kitchen as I tried to fill a pot of water to start supper. The two of us were playing tug of war with the pot as the tap ran, our voices slowly rising higher and higher as the two of us stubbornly disagreed over who should do the cooking. Edward finally broke the two of us apart, snatching the pot himself and filling it with water as Esme and I both glared at him. Edward snickered at the identical scowls on our faces, giving us both a peck on the cheek and telling us in a sweet voice how much he loved his girls; all four of us.

Of course, that made me and Esme tear up and we both began to cry and tried to hug Edward at the same time. Backing up with his hands in the air, he looked horrified at our sudden change of mood, eventually darting out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Going to the man cave! Too much estrogen in here for me!"

The days slowly drifted by, my free time spent with Rose and Alice shopping for Claire and the twins. I watched as Rose and Alice both spent an appalling amount of money buying dresses and hair bows for Claire. Biting my tongue, I remembered the look on the little girl's face in the photo, feeling somewhat of a connection for that freckle-faced beauty. She wouldn't like the dresses and bows. Don't ask me how I knew it; I just did. But I said nothing to Rose, opting out of the impending verbal confrontation.

"Have you picked out anything for the nursery, Bella?" Alice asked as she dug through a rack of pink baby clothes while I stood nearby, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"I have some ideas, but I haven't told Edward yet," I replied, shaking my head as Alice held up an overly frilly dress for my inspection. Frowning, she placed the dress back on the rack as we pressed on.

"Why not?"

"I don't know," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair thoughtfully. "He's really into all this...pink. It kind of reminds me of someone else I know." I shot her a grin and she scowled, placing one hand on her tiny hip.

"So if you don't like pink, what_ do_ you like? Have you even thought about the décor of the nursery?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in question. Rose paused in her pursuit as well, giving me her undivided attention as the two of them waited for my response.

"Do you want to see my ideas for the nursery?" I asked, excitedly reaching for my phone as they exchanged knowing glances before grinning at me. Removing the phone from my back pocket, I scrolled through and pulled up the photos from the website I snagged them from. Alice and Rose huddled around me as I slid my finger across the screen, the two of them 'ohhhing' and 'ahhhing' as each photo passed by, their expensive perfume lingering in the air around me.

"Bella, I think it's perfect!" Alice sighed, a dreamy expression crossing her face as she stared into nothing. Rose and I both snorted at the look on her face, effectively snapping her back into reality. In true Alice style, she stuck her tongue out at the both of us and we cackled in laughter. The three of us continued our clothes shopping expedition in one piece. Poor Sam was our chauffeur for the day. His primary job was carrying our shopping bags back to Edward's car. He didn't seem to mind though, in fact, Sam was looking extremely happy lately. Maybe it had something to do with those late night phone calls from a certain girl named Tia.

Rose and Alice encouraged me to show Edward the nursery photos and I agreed to think about it for a few days. It wasn't that I thought Edward would disagree with me decorating the nursery the way I'd like, it was that I wanted him to be happy with the way it looked as well. Edward had changed a lot since we first met. If someone had told me five months prior that Edward Cullen would one day be sitting around thumbing through baby books and babbling about pink nurseries on a Friday night while I rubbed cocoa butter on my belly and moaned about how miserable I was, I would probably laugh in their face. Edward wasn't a completely different person; we continued to argue from time to time and he was still the domineering man who I fell in love with, but now I saw a compassion in him that I'd never noticed before. The way his eyes would sparkle when he'd talk about the babies sent my heart into overdrive and did something funny to my stomach. Already, I knew he'd be more of a father to our children than my father ever dreamed of being with me. I fell in love with him over and over every day.

Edward and I started going out on dates as least once a week, savoring what little free time we had left before the arrival of our little ones. One afternoon he asked me to get ready because he had a surprise outing planned for me. Imagine my surprise when I entered out bedroom to find a new lilac dress laid out for me on the bed, matching pumps sitting daintily beside it. I ran my fingers across the fabric of the dress that somehow shimmered, shooting Edward a questioning glance.

"Alice dropped that off for you earlier," he said with a shrug, avoiding my eyes, immediately making me suspicious. "She said she wanted you to look nice for our date tonight."

Frowning, I played along, even firing up the curling iron and curling my hair in large waves, careful not to burn myself. After some light makeup and my mother's locket, which Edward had repaired awhile back at the jewelers, I was ready to go. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist giving me a crooked grin, his green eyes dancing as they skimmed my body. It never ceased to amaze me how he continued to find me attractive, stretch marks and all.

I knew something was up when we reached the driveway and Jasper and Emmett were hopping in Emmett's big, white truck, peeling out before I could barely get a glimpse of them. Sam and Ben trotted out of the house, and slid in the front seats of Edward's car, the two of them giving me big cheesy grins as I stared suspiciously at them. Edward usually drove us on our dates, leaving Sam and Ben at home since Jacob's death. Jacob was Edward's biggest enemy and since he and James were no longer in the picture Edward felt secure enough to travel without a bodyguard most of the time, unless I were going somewhere without him. Then he always sent Sam with me.

Sam navigated us through the nerve-wracking Memphis traffic, Edward rubbing soothing circles on the inside of my palm the entire time. When we turned towards downtown Memphis I began to get excited, wondering if Edward was taking me to a blues club or somewhere else equally entertaining. Since becoming pregnant, Edward shielded me from some of the places I loved the best and I missed the soulful sounds drifting from places like B.B. King's Blues Club as I walked the few blocks to work at night. The memory of my brief amount of time as a single, young woman made me wistful as I stared at the blur of lights passing by. Sam pulled up as close to Beale Street as he could, dropping us off and giving Edward a slight nod of his head. Ben exited the car and fell by our side.

Edward and I walked hand in hand down Beale; he with a guarded, pensive look on his face as he dropped my hand and pulled me close to him, his eyes glaring at any pedestrian who happened to glance my way. The smell of barbeque hit me full force and my stomach audibly growled, luckily too low for Edward to notice. He'd never let me hear the end of it with his teasing. Passing a blues club, I craned my neck to get a glimpse inside as a man stumbled from the bar, swinging the door open. The sound of a young boy's voice drifted from inside and I saw a boy no older than twelve sitting on the stage, guitar in hand as he crooned into the mic, singing about the sad troubles in his young life. The panhandlers were out in full force and Edward patiently waited as I handed an older man a few bills, the man's face brightening significantly as he blessed me.

We crossed the street, Edward veering me in the direction which we traveled and I screamed as we narrowly missed a small group of men, who appeared from nowhere, turning somersaults and cartwheels down the street. People quickly jumped out of the way, staring at them in awe at the massive amount of times they flipped over and over, their baggy shirts flapping against the wind as they seemingly flew in dizzying twists down the street. At one time these men spent almost every day on Beale, flipping for money, but they'd become somewhat famous, eventually traveling with the NBA showing off their tumbling skills during half-time performances. My face held what I imagined was a big, goofy expression, my grin practically splitting my face in half as I took in all the sights, sounds and smells surrounding me.

It was when we stepped in front of the club, Edward's club, that broke my happy mood. Frowning up at him I rolled my eyes impatiently and questioned why we were standing in front of the club. It was early Thursday evening, so the club hadn't yet opened. Edward ignored my questions, giving me an evil smirk as he unlocked the door, fumbling with the keys and the door a bit loudly before we stepped into the dark building. It was creepy inside, the darkness and faint whispering sounds slightly alarming me. Grasping Edward's arm I gasped in shock as he flipped on the lights and my eyes fell on the grinning faces of my small group of friends and people I considered family.

Esme, Alice, Rose, Tia, Carmen, and Angela yelled, "Surprise" in one, broken chorus, Alice throwing white, sparkly confetti in the air above her. The confetti drifted down like snowflakes, falling against her raven hair and shining beneath the dim club lights. She looked like an evil little pixie with the glittery hair and the tattoos covering most of the skin on her upper body. Rose coughed and fanned the air in front of her, fanning away the confetti. Mint-colored balloons in pale yellow, pink, and green floated above our heads. A huge white banner hang across the bar, the word 'Congratulations!' scrolled across it in large, graceful pink scroll. The room looked as though it threw up crêpe paper. A large sheet cake sat on the bar, the icing matching the décor in the club in mint green and yellow with two sets of baby booties sitting on top in light pink icing.

"You're throwing me a baby shower," I heard myself say as I glanced around the room skeptically. "In a bar..."

Edward snickered, pulling me closer to his side and kissing my temple, his delicious scent swirling around me. "Slightly inappropriate, I know, but their heart is in the right place." I gave him a stiff smile, never one to enjoy being the center of attention whatsoever.

"I need to run, baby. Sam's waiting for me outside. We've got some business to take care of tonight," he whispered, giving me one last kiss before he pulled away.

"Where are you going?"

"It's one of those things that I can't disclose," he told me in a firm voice, his green eyes boring into mine. I nodded and he assured me that Ben was sitting outside the front door. Edward was still uncomfortable leaving me alone in public, always sending Sam or Ben with me when he was at work or busy with his other 'projects'.

Esme rushed over to where we were standing, quickly pinning a huge corsage on my new dress. It was full of pink ribbons, white daisies and miniature baby rattles. My body stiffened as I expected the pin to stab me, but Esme finished pinning it without any blood being involved. I breathed a sigh of relief, narrowly escaping at least one moment of bad luck. Edward left and the real party started. Rose cranked up the music which wasn't a baby shower theme at all. Local Memphis beats softly played in the background and Alice even turned on the strobe lights, snickering as I shook my head in shame, a small smile playing on my face.

Alice insisted I open presents first and it was then that I noticed two tables overflowing with gifts. I sat in a cushy chair that Alice pulled from the VIP area and everyone surrounded me, happily sighing as I opened gifts of baby bottles, dresses, rompers, onesies, bibs, swaddling blankets, two bouncy chairs and the list goes on and on. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Tia and Carmen exchanging sneaky glances, pulling what I assumed was their mutual gift to the side. When it was the last present unopened, Carmen picked it up and passed it to me, shooting me an evil grin as I stared down at it suspiciously. It was a small box wrapped in fucking newspaper, the comics no less. Rose glared at my two friends and they stared at her evenly. I thought I heard Tia mutter, "Boogee bitch" under her breath, but I wasn't really sure.

Pressing my fingers beneath the tape, I slowly removed the paper and found a plain cardboard box beneath, the flaps overlapping one another so that the box was sealed without actually being taped down. Pulling the flaps open I gazed down at the contents of the box feeling my face flame up in embarrassment.

"Well come on! Show us what it is!" Esme sang, clapping her hands excitedly, reminding me of her daughter. Esme picked up her camera, clicking away as she'd done the entire time I'd been there.

Slowly, I removed item after item, placing each one on the small table nearby. Angela began giggling, her dark eyes twinkling behind her glasses as she attempted to cover her laughter with a cough.

"Are you kidding me?" Rose scowled, her face possibly redder than mine. "Nipple cream, hemorrhoid ointment, tank tops and maxi pads? What the hell kind of baby shower gift is that?! And why do those tank tops have holes cut in the front."

"Bitch, that's a homemade nursing top," Tia hissed, glaring at my haughty friend. "Do you know how expensive those things are? It was cheaper to buy Fruit of the Loom and cut the holes ourselves."

"Nursing tops are very expensive," Angela sweetly agreed, smiling at Tia. "At least they were when I was pregnant with Eric."

"Do you like it, Bella?" Carmen asked, her eyebrows knitted in worry as she glanced at Rose and Tia who suddenly found themselves in a face-off. "We just wanted you to have some stuff that you could use for yourself..."

"It's perfect," I said, pulling her into a hug and shocking Tia with one as well. She shrugged me off, scowling as she leaned back in her chair, but I thought I saw a small smile for a brief minute.

"It's a lovely, thoughtful gift," Esme said, staring straight at Rose with such hostility that Rose snapped her mouth shut and slumped down in her seat.

"I say we cut the cake!" Alice chirped, jumping from her seat and interrupting the sudden tense cloud caused by Rose and Tia. I started to rise from where I sat but Alice scolded me, gently explaining that the guest of honor should be served by the host. Sighing, I sat back down, suddenly craving ice cream and cake, hoping that Alice loaded my plate down.

"Angela, do you mind inviting Ben inside?" I asked with a frown. "I feel bad that he's just standing outside alone. Tell him I said to come in and have some cake, at least for a minute." My friend nodded and stood up, crossing the room and disappearing outside.

"Damnit!" Alice cried, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I forgot the ice cream! I bought sherbert and put it in the punch, but forgot to buy regular old ice cream!"

"I've got some upstairs in the fridge," I said, finally standing. "You can't eat cake without ice cream. That's a travesty."

Alice protested, arguing that she'd go up to the loft and get the ice cream for me, but I patiently explained that my legs needed a little exercise from sitting so long, plus I really, really needed to pee. Laughing, she nodded and returned to the bar where everyone was busily filling their plates with cake, mixed nuts, and mints. Digging around in the small purse I rarely carried, I removed a set of keys and waddled across the room, carefully making my way upstairs and shoving a key in the lock. I hesitated, a funny feeling washing over me before I pushed that door open.

"Stop being stupid, Bella," I scolded myself aloud, literally shaking the feeling from my body as I pushed the door open. Edward kept one of the lamps on inside the loft at all times, the soft yellow glow filling the room. Reaching over, I flipped on the overhead lights and shut the door behind me, yawned and tossed my keys on the kitchen table where a man sat watching me expectedly.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, clutching my chest. His eyes fell to my expanded abdomen, a toothpick hanging from his mouth as he watched me.

"You've certainly filled out since I last saw you," he drawled, giving me a lazy grin, his hazel eyes flashing humorously at my shocked reaction. Leaning back he propped his boots on a neighboring chair and placed his hands behind his head, causing his black t-shirt to ride up slightly.

"What are you doing here, Garrett?" I hissed, turning and shutting the door to the loft, twisting the locks in place. Spinning around, I crossed my arms and glared at him, raising one eyebrow expectantly, awaiting his response.

Garrett simply grinned, the toothpick now hanging from the corner of his mouth as he said, "Couldn't wait to lock that door and get alone with me, could you?"

"We're not alone, Garrett. There's two other people in this room," I snapped, pointing at my expanding waistline. "Remember? Edward and I are pregnant...Edward, my _fiancé_."

"Twins, huh? Well, congratulations sweetheart. I'm surprised old Edward didn't kick you out after telling him about the kiss we shared," he said, his eyes gleaming in excitement, as though he anticipated Edward's anger. The comment wasn't one that I expected.

"I didn't tell him," I muttered, feeling slightly guilty over the fact. There were many nights I spent tossing and turning over my decision to withhold Garrett's kiss, telling myself that the kiss was meaningless to me and would only cause problems between Edward and I. To be honest, I was tired of the constant drama that somehow found me throughout my life. It was my time to live a happy existence, and I'd be damned if I let Garrett Ratliff ruin it over some nothing kiss.

"Oh, so it's our little secret, huh?" he smirked, giving me a cocky grin.

"Yes, it's a secret. You got that? The last thing I need is Edward flying off the handle over some stupid kiss that I didn't even return!" I snapped, rolling my eyes, my face turning red.

"Well, you sure didn't fight it," was his clever response as he smiled knowingly at me. His response floored me and I could feel the hostility slowly building deep within.

"How could I? Jasper and Emmett were walking around looking for me! I couldn't risk them seeing you in that building and finding out about our plans to kill James by smacking the shit out of you in front of everyone. But you know what? They're not around now, so maybe that's just what I'll do. I'll beat the shit out of you!" I half-yelled, pissed off by his smirk, cocky smile and insinuations.

Marching across the room I came at him like a bull on steroids, my hands in angry fists and murder on my face. He hopped out of the chair, knocking it over on it's back, throwing his hands up in protest as I came near him. Swinging my right hand I punched him with a right hook, knocking the new, shocked expression clean off his narrow face. Garrett ran from me around the loft as I continued to swing at him, smoothly dodging any other blows that came his way as he laughed and locked himself in the bathroom.

"Come on out, you little chicken shit!" I hollered, pounding on the door, momentarily forgetting that the guests below could possibly hear me. That is, until I heard another pounding nearby; the insistent pounding of my little Yankee friend knocking on the loft door and calling my name.

"Stay put!" I hissed at the door, glaring at the thick piece of wood when I heard a muffled chuckle drift out from behind it. Taking some deep breaths I walked across the loft and unlocked the door, opening it and poking my head outside. Carmen and Tia stared back at me, Carmen with a look of concern and Tia with one of boredom.

"Are you alright?" Carmen asked, shoving me to the side and peaking around into the loft. "It's taking you forever to grab some ice cream so we thought we'd check in on you."

"Uh, yeah I'm alright," I mumbled, glancing over my shoulder at the bathroom door nervously, which caught Tia's attention. She peered at me curiously before pushing past the two of us and quickly daring across the room. I ran to stop her but wasn't fast enough. Tia grabbed the bathroom doorknob, twisting it this way and that, frowning when she realized it was locked.

"Okay, Swan," she said, turning and giving me a suspicious glare. "Who in the hell is in this bathroom? And don't tell me there's no one in here. I heard you talking to someone before Carmen started banging on the door."

Carmen joined us in front of the bathroom door and I chewed my bottom lip nervously as they watched me in contemplation. These were my friends, my girls, who helped me when I needed it the most. Blowing a strand of hair out of my face, I said, "G, open the door."

The girls looked at one another in confusion then jumped back as the door swung open, a grinning Garrett emerging from the other side. Carmen's eyes widened as she full-out stared at him and as his eyes met hers it was almost as if something shifted in the room.

"This is G. G, this is Carmen and Tia, my best friends," I said, gesturing to each girl as I said their name. Nodding at the two of them, his eyes lingering on Carmen a bit longer than they did Tia.

"Hey, there pretty lady," he said, his voice soft and sweet as he smiled Carmen. My friend opened her mouth several times, her cheeks turning red and then giggled like a twelve-year-old girl. Tia groaned, shaking her head in disgust as her friend's oogling and silly behavior.

"You didn't tell us you had a guest staying in the loft," Carmen accused, finally finding her voice as she batted her eyes at Garrett.

"I didn't know myself," I muttered. "Why are you here in the loft? How did you get in? What are you doing in Memphis?"

"One question at a time, my dear," he said, reaching in his pocket and removing a very familiar piece of paper. "I'm simply doing what you suggested...trying to find that special someone like you have with Edward." The piece of paper between his fingers was the same one I left in the old cedar chest back in Mississippi and I assumed that I was right with my idea that the cabin belonged to Garrett himself.

"That still doesn't explain why you're in Edward's loft," I hissed, propping my hands on my hips. Garrett crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the heels of his boots, watching my face carefully.

"This was the only way I could get to you without your jackass fiancé finding out. Remember the one and only time we met? It didn't end so well for me. The bastard better be glad he had me outnumbered," he scowled.

"Oh, I like G already," Tia interrupted, finally piping in on the conversation. "That rat bastard beat up my man for giving Bella a fucking back rub. I swear, Bella, your man has some issues. Edward needs some anger management classes, therapy and Jesus in his life."

"It was easy getting into the loft," Garrett continued, shoving the paper back into his pocket. "It's a little degrading that you'd think me breaking in is actually a challenge. As for the security cameras, well that's another story. Hopefully Edward won't get a wild hair and go over the footage." Garrett grinned, his eyes shining as though Edward looking through the security footage was exactly what he wanted.

"You still failed to explain why you need to see me in the first place," I accused, poking him in the chest.

"I gotta have a reason to drop in on an old friend? I didn't know for sure if I'd see you here. I was planning on leaving you some sort of message to let you know I checked up on you," he told me with a crooked smile, pressing his hand dramatically over his heart. "I'm hurt, Bells. I thought we were closer than that."

"You thought wrong," I muttered, looking at the loft door anxiously. "We've gotta get back downstairs before someone gets suspicious. I'm leaving you in here but you better be gone after everyone leaves, okay?"

Garrett nodded solemnly, crossing his heart and giving me the boy scout salute. Rolling my eyes I grabbed the half-eaten container of ice cream from the freezer and practically dragged Carmen from the room, meeting Tia in the stairway.

"Maybe I'll see you sometime soon, G. It was nice to meet you," Carmen called softly, causing me to pause in the doorway and glance over my shoulder.

The normal smirk melted from Garrett's face, his expression softening a bit as he replied, "You will most definitely see me again, Ms. Carmen." Carmen grinned in response as I shut the door behind us, shaking my head at the possibility of my best friend and Garrett possibly having some sort of romantic connection.

"Y'all can't tell anyone he was here and please don't ask me to explain," I whispered in a stern voice as my two apprehensive friends exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

The three of us emerged from the stairway and I struggled to wipe the serious expression from my face as we approached Esme, Rose and Alice who sat near the bar with empty plates on their laps. Ben and Angela sat at a table near the door, alone, the two of them deep in conversation with their heads bent very close together. A flash of a memory, an idea, came to me as I remembered at one time I planned on getting those two together. It looked as though fate didn't wait on me to work my magic; it worked it on it's own.

"We wanted to wait on y'all, but we were so hungry," Alice said apologetically as the three of us casually smiled, walked over to the bar and began assembling our plates. Alice already had a plate of food waiting for me and I scooped out a large hunk of ice cream placing in on top of the cake trying to rid my mind of thoughts of my strange friend upstairs.

"Is everything okay?" Rose asked as we sat down beside them.

Carmen grinned, giggled and tossed a mint in her mouth. "Everything is...perfect," she said, gazing dreamily into the distance, a happy smile on her face. Tia audibly groaned and facepalmed herself, rolling her eyes at her friend's blissfulness.

After about a million more photos from Esme's camera, we cleaned up after ourselves. I ignored everyone's protests by pitching in on the cleaning. I was tired of everyone treating me as though I was handicapped just because I was pregnant. Edward and Sam arrived shortly after and I noticed a smudge of what looked like light green paint on his strong jawline. Grabbing a napkin, I swiped it across his face and looked down at the smeared green color against the yellow napkin. Edward cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable as he waited for me to ask about the paint. But I didn't ask, because sometimes the unknown is better than the truth. At least that's what I told myself at that time.

It was late when we arrived home and I was completely exhausted, but not exhausted enough to stop teasing Ben about getting Angela's number. Ben was quiet, sweet and loyal, just like Angela, and he didn't seem to mind that Angela was a single parent. They were a good match. We parted ways with Sam and Ben as they strolled to the guest house, laughing quietly about something, the sound echoing through the night. Edward escorted me inside, but grabbed my arm as I headed towards our bedroom. Smiling, he led me upstairs, glancing occasionally at the confused expression on my face. When he pulled me into my old bedroom I gasped in shock.

My former bedroom was completely transformed. The furniture was gone and replaced with two white cribs, a changing table and a small dresser with a yellow lamp. The walls were painted a mint green and artistically decorated with whimsical trees, the leaves slowly drifting across the wall. The bottom border of the walls were painted with thick, green grass, an occasional flower bursting with color peeping through the blades. Birds drifted gracefully across the walls and the ceiling was sky blue with fat, fluffy white clouds painted against the imaginary sky. It wasn't exactly identical to the photos I'd shown Alice on my phone; it was so much better.

"Edward," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes as I pressed my hands to my cheeks in bewilderment. "When? When did you have time to do all this? Not tonight. There's no way you did all this tonight."

"Nah, we've been working on it awhile," he admitted, watching my face carefully as my eyes scanned the room. "We had to finish touching up the paint in some places. It took me, Emmett, Jasper, Sam and Ben to get this all done. Do you know how complicated it is putting a baby bed together? That's why Jasper and Emmett were in such a rush to leave tonight. They picked the cribs up from storage while we were gone. Hey, why haven't you told me how artistic Jasper is? He's a fucking Picasso!"

"I forgot, I guess," I mumbled, a memory of my uncle berating Jasper for his sissy drawings flashing through my mind. "He hasn't drawn or painted anything in such a long time. I guess I forgot about it. So I'm assuming Alice showed Jasper the photos on my phone and he mentioned it to you?"

"Actually, the two of them mentioned it to me. Why didn't you tell me this is what you wanted for the girls?" he asked, worry crossing his handsome face as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"You're really into pink and I'm not," I muttered, avoiding his probing eyes. "I just wanted you to be happy."

"Baby, I am happy," he told me quietly, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist as my eyes continued to inspect the room. "I've never been so happy in my life. Do you like the room? What do you think?"

I pondered his question for a long moment as he shifted behind me, uncomfortable with my silence. Finally, sighing, I whispered, "Are you sure you want to know what I think." He nodded silently.

"I think you should take me to bed, Mr. Cullen," I whispered, smiling as his shifting halted and his body stiffened against me.

"Perfect fucking response," he muttered, nipping at my neck and pulling me from the room.

Sex with Edward was different that night. He was gentle but with hard, deep thrusts and excruciatingly slow. The slow torment gave me the most intense orgasm I'd ever had. The two of us to screamed out when we finally came undone, together, in perfect sync with one another.

Near the end of March Rose and Emmett left for Oklahoma. The lawyer arranged for the two of them to spend time with Claire on a daily basis until the adoption process was complete. The two of them left our driveway with identical nervous, yet excited smiles on their faces. I waved enthusiastically as Emmett's white truck eased though the open gates, anxious to meet Rose's daughter in just a couple of weeks.

When I wasn't daydreaming over Rose and Claire's reunion, I worried about Garrett. Every day I expected to see him pop up, unannounced as was his trademark, but he never arrived. There were times when I almost told Jasper about his visit, but I held my tongue, knowing that Jasper was still bitter with his friend over the stunt we pulled. The days slowly crept by and Garrett eventually left my mind as the day Rose, Emmett and Claire were to return home finally arrived.

Alice, of course, insisted that we throw her a big party, but I talked her out of it, explaining that Claire might be the type of kid who didn't like attention. That was a hard concept for Alice to grasp for she didn't know any child who didn't like parties or attention, but Edward agreed with me and convinced Alice that I was probably right. The little girl was to have dinner with Alice, Edward, Jasper and I when she arrived in Germantown, and I figured that was overwhelming enough without throwing in a cake and streamers in the mix. Alice pouted for a while and then began prattling on and on about throwing Claire the mother of all birthday parties one day. Edward and I glanced and one another, chuckled and shook our heads at our over-exuberant little Alice.

The night that Rose, Emmett and Claire arrived Alice and I busied ourselves in the kitchen. Alice removed a large pot roast from the oven and I stacked ears of corn on the cob on a large platter, jumping when I heard the familiar sound of the security system being disarmed. Alice and I exchanged glances. Fear and excitement graced her features, matching the emotions that budded inside me. Wiping my hands on a small kitchen towel, I grasped Alice's nimble hands in mine and squeezed them tightly, the excitement finally winning over the fear as a smile crept to my face.

"She's here!" I squealed, my chest feeling as though it were about to explode. Alice finally returned my smile and we heard Jasper and Edward emerge from the man cave, nervous anticipation clear on both of their faces.

"Honey, we're home!" Emmett boomed from the foyer.

Entering the room with a huge smile on his dimpled face, I immediately knew something was off. The smile didn't reach his eyes like it normally did. My mind went back to the past several days and the conversations I had with my brother. He'd assured me that everything was fine with Claire and everything was going great, but even then I felt as though something wasn't right. I'd brushed the feeling aside at the time, thinking it was simply me reading into things too much.

But when I saw Rose and the little girl enter behind him, I knew in my heart there was something wrong. Rose looked haggard...and Rose _never_ looked haggard. My attention didn't linger on Rose but for a moment, because suddenly my eyes were drawn to the little girl standing by her side.

A tiny girl, smaller in size than a typical nine-year old, stood by Rose's side, not close to her but close enough for you to tell that she was more comfortable in her presence than in the presence of us strangers. Her strawberry blonde hair cascaded in large waves falling halfway down her back, the top section pulled up in a pretty, white bow. She wore a blue dress, the same color blue as her eyes which reminded me of the ocean. Freckles were scattered across the top of her nose, fading in color as they reached her cheeks. The expression on her face was scared and unsure, a feeling I was all too familiar with.

Alice, oblivious to the girl's rigid posture, took a step in her direction, but I grabbed her hand, staring deeply in her confused eyes trying to convey the reason I stopped her. She seemed to understand, giving me a slight nod and I dropped her hand.

"So this is Claire," Edward said, breaking the thick silence in the room. Claire dropped her head and Rose stared down at her with a worried expression on her face.

"Emmett, I think I'll take Claire down to the game room and show her around?" Rose told him quietly, glancing at my brother. He nodded and Rose and the little girl left the room, the girl still keeping somewhat of a distance between the two of them.

"What's going on?" Jasper whispered, looking concerned.

Emmett rubbed his forehead and muttered, "She doesn't talk, man. She hasn't said anything since the first day we met her. We've tried everything we can to get her to talk, but it doesn't work. She hardly eats and freaks out when Rose tries to give her a bath."

"Is she...mute?" Edward asked. "Did something traumatic happen to cause her to act this way?"

"No, the social worker told us that when she lived with her first foster family she talked all the time. Then one day she just stopped talking. I don't really feel like discussing it tonight, guys, if that's all right." We nodded and mumbled in response as he gave us all a sad look. He left the room, disappearing downstairs to find Rose and the little girl.

Biting my lip, deeply lost in my own thoughts, I began bringing supper to the table, Alice by my side. We worked quietly together, the weight of Claire's situation pressing down on each of us. After carefully arranging everything perfectly on the table I called out that supper was ready and everyone began to trickle in. They chatted quietly over light topics, but that didn't resolve the thick tension hanging over our heads.

We sat down together and ate supper, everyone but Rose and I avoiding looking at Claire who slowly picked at her food, a slight frown on her face. Rose, who sat beside her, began questioning her about what she preferred to eat, but the girl never answered. It was obvious that she didn't like what I served, but the thought didn't hurt my feelings. Excusing myself from the table I went in the kitchen and removed something from the freezer, staring at the concoction with a devious grin. Cutting a big, thick slice, I returned to the dining room and shoved Claire's plate aside, replacing it with the new one.

"Really, Bella?" Rose whispered, shaking her head slightly at the giant piece of Oreo pie. I said nothing, pretending to be mesmerized with the large chunk of pot roast that I speared with my fork. I felt the little girl's eyes on me. They'd dart from me and then back down to the pie.

"I always wanted to eat dessert first when I was a kid," I mused out loud, grinning at Edward who had a small smile playing on his lips. "But no one ever let me." Shrugging, I became interested in my pot roast once again.

When Claire picked up the fork and slowly cut into her pie, I dropped my face, hiding my smile behind a thick veil of hair. When she took the first bite I outright grinned, but covered it by shoving a large piece of a potato in my mouth.

And when she finished the entire slice and gave me a tiny ghost of a smile, I went back and got her another one.

* * *

**Beale Street Flippers- YouTube it. They do exist and they're awesome :)**

**Peace and Love,**

Jhood


	31. Chapter 31: Silent Understandings

_Previously, in Chapter Thirty..._

_When Claire picked up the fork and slowly cut into her pie, I dropped my face, hiding my smile behind a thick veil of hair. When she took the first bite I outright grinned, but covered it by shoving a large piece of a potato in my mouth._

_And when she finished the entire slice and gave me a tiny ghost of a smile, I went back and got her another one._

**Claire doesn't talk, but her voice is dying to be heard. Hope you like it.**

**Warning: This chapter depicts mistreatment a child. There is ****no**** sexual abuse involved, whatsoever.**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Silent Understandings**

**CPOV**

My memories began at the age of four. I lived with the Ramsey family at that time. I don't remember who I lived before then. My life before the Ramsey's didn't seem to exist.

Bill and Shirley Ramsey were the perfect parents; the parents I never had. I knew from the age of five that I was adopted, although I didn't really grasp the concept until I became older. Bill and Shirley told me they couldn't have children, so they adopted one of their own. Shirley told me that one day my mama would come looking for me. She said my mama didn't want to give me away but she had to. She didn't tell me why my mama gave me away, but then again, I really didn't ask her. I was happy with the Ramsey's and couldn't imagine leaving them for anyone else.

Bill was tall and burly with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Bill owned his own service station and his hands stayed calloused and worn from long days of laboring on vehicles. There were permanent grease stains beneath his fingernails that Shirley fussed about all the time. She tried in every way to get those stains out, but she never could. Eventually she'd just smile her beautiful little smile and shake her head at her husband. He'd chuckle and give her a kiss on the cheek, ruffling my hair each time he passed me by. I loved the two of them with all my heart.

Shirley was petite with long, dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes. When I closed my eyes I could still see the pretty woman I spent the few happy years of my life with. But she didn't stay pretty for long. Shirley started getting headaches a lot and stopped cooking because she couldn't stand on her feet but for a few minutes at a time. The laundry started piling up and I tried to help, but I was only five and didn't know what to do besides color her a picture or sing her favorite lullabies. They were the same lullabies she sang for me every night when she tucked me in bed and kissed my forehead before turning down the lights. When she became sick she stopped singing the lullabies, so I sang them for her. She'd smile and tell me how much she loved me and how lovely my singing voice was, but it didn't matter. The lullabies didn't work. They didn't make her better.

When her hair started falling out Bill panicked. Shirley had brushed aside her symptoms for a long time, refusing to see a doctor for a silly little headache. But it wasn't just a headache. Shirley started going to the doctor every week. She'd come home tired with bandages on her arms and a turban on her head. All her beautiful hair eventually fell out. Her pretty round face sunk in, her skin became sallow and black shadows encircled her eyes. I tried to act as though I weren't scared of the person Shirley became, but it was hard. The woman I once loved turned into a frail ghost. And then one day she died.

Bill mourned her for a very long time. I tried to make him happy like I did Shirley and it seemed to work. Bill taught himself how to cook by carefully reading his mother's old recipe books. I'd sit in a chair at the small table near the kitchen where he, Shirley and I once ate our meals and watched him struggle with a new recipe every night. After a few mishaps involving overly gooey noodles and lumpy mashed potatoes, he started really getting the feel for cooking.

I started kindergarten when I was six and I loved it. Bill let me ride the big, yellow school bus every day. I sat next to Jeremiah, who was also six at the time. He was a cute boy with brown and deep brown eyes. I had a crush on him and would sometimes sneak him the Rice Krispy Treats that Bill made for me. My kindergarten teacher was very sweet and spent a lot of time with each of her students. She taught me to read, something Bill and Shirley somehow failed to do. The thrill of learning a new word empowered me and I would use the word in sentences throughout the day, a sense of pride for knowledge swelling in my chest.

Bill smiled and laughed at my over-exuberance for words and bought me a few books. Late at night I'd pretend I was asleep. When Bill turned off the lights and shut the door I'd pull my small Barbie flashlight from beneath my pillow and read until my eyelids became droopy and exhaustion took over. When I'd wake up in the morning the flashlight was back under my pillow and the book on my shelf, but I never remembered putting them there.

Overall, I had a happy life. Until I turned eight. That's when things took a drastic turn for the worst. That's the first time I met a social worker.

I was sitting in class working a math problem with a short, plump woman with dark hair and glasses perched on her pudgy nose walked into our classroom. I'd seen her at school a few times, but never really knew her name or what her position was at the school. The woman walked in and glanced around the room, her eyes falling on mine. Turning my head back to my work I blushed, embarrassed that the woman caught me staring. From the front of the room I heard the woman and my teacher speaking in low, soft tones before Mrs. Gilbert, my teacher, walked to my desk and stooped down beside me.

"Claire," she said, her voice soft and gentle. Glancing up, I met her sympathetic eyes. "Sweetie, pack up your belongings and go with Mrs. Lambert. She's the school counselor and she needs to speak with you."

After gathering my belongings I followed the plump lady through the building and into another one. She opened her office door and I shuffled inside, stunned by the sight of a police officer and another lady quietly engaged in conversation in Mrs. Lambert's office. They turned to me, their eyes filled with the same sympathy that my teacher's eyes held. That was the day I learned that Bill Ramsey died. A car he was working on somehow fell off a jack and landed on him. Bill died instantly and the police officer tried to assure me, an eight year old child, that he felt no pain.

But I felt the pain. I felt it deep in my chest, pulsing through my veins. There was no one there for me anymore. The only two people who ever loved me were gone and I was all alone in the world.

They placed me in a home for girls for a couple of months. Those two months were horrifying. The girls I lived with didn't have a happy life like I had. They were mean, vengeful girls who enjoyed teasing and tormenting us smaller kids. The few weeks I lived there seemed like years. Late at night I'd lay in my bed, too terrified to close my eyes. The last time I shut my eyes a girl named Simone dumped cold water over me. Simone was an evil little thing with flaming red hair and light green eyes. She'd be pretty if not for the menacing scowl she wore. When I tried to scream out for help she'd press her hand over my mouth, threatening to do the most evil things to me if I made so much as a peep. So I stopped. I stopped speaking to everyone in the girl's home. I didn't speak again until a woman named Heidi arrived in my life.

Heidi was tall and curvy with thick, wavy brown hair and honey colored eyes. She wore fancy clothes and smelled of expensive perfume. My case worker told me that she was my new foster-mother. The pretty woman's smile and the chance to leave the girl's home excited me. With what little belongings I had I left that miserable place and never looked back. But the girl's home was a picnic compared to the year I lived with Heidi.

Heidi was a perfectionist. Everything had it's place in her home and if things were out of order she'd fly into a rage. She never hit me, not once. But she did find other ways to hurt me.

Heidi loved dressing me in frilly dresses and pretty hair bows. The fabric made my skin itch and she'd scream at me for squirming and scratching. I loved playing in the dirt, not wearing pretty dresses. One time I snuck outside while she was taking a nap and quietly played with some cars in the dirt. The little cars belonged to a boy I met at my new school. We played with the cars on the playground and he told me I could have a couple. I snuck them in my backpack and brought them home, anxious for Heidi to take her daily nap so I could play with them. Trying to keep my dress clean, I ran the cars through the dirt for several minutes, the tiny plastic tires leaving tracks in the sand. Sneaking back inside before she awoke, I was proud of myself for not dirtying my dress. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for my shoes.

Heidi woke up and found dirty footprints near the back door. Heidi violently grabbed me by my tiny arm and pulled me to the bathroom. Sobbing from the pain in my arm, I watched as she filled the bathtub with water. She screamed for me to shut up, but I couldn't stop the sobs from escaping my mouth. Clasping her hand over my mouth, she hoisted me up from the floor and carelessly tossed me into the tub. The icy water sent shockwaves through my body, but I held in my screams, my teeth clattering against one another.

"Don't you ever track dirt back into this house! Do you understand me?" she asked in a low, menacing voice, her pretty face distorted in anger. I nodded, terrified, and a strange smile crossed her face.

"Stay there until I tell you to get out," she instructed, slamming the bathroom door behind her and leaving me sitting in the freezing water, fully clothed and shivering.

I don't know how long I sat there before my toes became numb and the shivering stopped. Eventually she returned to the room, humming and smiling as though nothing happened, helping me from the tub and removing my wet clothes. She dried me off and put another dress on me; pink this time. I never played in the dirt again. And I never asked her questions or spoke my mind, because it really hurt when she poured cayenne pepper in my mouth and held it shut.

Sometimes at night I'd cry for my mama. I don't know why I did that. She didn't want me to begin with, but I'd still find myself praying for her to find me and take me away from the mess I found myself in. Bill and Shirley told me that God answered prayers, but as much as I prayed for my mama, she never came.

I learned very quickly that it was best to just remain silent. The singing never helped Shirley. The screaming never helped me in the girl's home. Praying for my mama didn't work. And Heidi simply couldn't stand the sound of my voice. So I stopped talking. It was better that way.

My case worker knew something was wrong. She'd stop in for her scheduled visits and question my happiness, but I refused to speak because it never did any good any other time. Heidi played the sympathy card, moaning and fretting over me as I sat still as a statue on the couch across from the case worker, my mind a million miles away. Heidi dabbed a tissue beneath her eyes, pretending she was forlorn that her poor little Claire wouldn't speak to her.

So every day I'd wake up, put on a horrid dress and go to school, practicing extreme caution to prevent soiling my clothes on the playground. I'd come home and hole up in my room reading the tattered books that Bill once bought me. My name lay scrawled in crooked letters inside the front cover of each book. I loved my books.

Several months after I turned nine, things suddenly changed. Stepping off the last step of the school bus I immediately knew something was wrong. My case worker stopped in the week before to check on me, but her navy Lincoln was sitting in the driveway of Heidi's small, modest home. Creeping quietly inside, so not to anger Heidi, I caught the end of their conversation. Slipping through the kitchen, I hid around the corner from the den eavesdropping.

"You can't take her away from her! She's practically my flesh and blood! I love Claire!" Heidi cried dramatically.

My heart began to thump unsteadily in my chest. Why was the case worker taking me away? Where would I go? Was it someplace nice...or someplace worse than where I already was?

"_Claire's_ mother has hired one of the best attorneys in the south," Mrs. Kirksey, my case worker, said in a firm voice. "I've talked to Ms. Hale and her lawyer extensively. Ms. Hale never intended to give up her rights to her daughter. Ms. Hale was sixteen when she gave birth to Claire and her parents forced her to give her child up for adoption. Ms. Hale has every right to fight for her daughter. It's not as though you ever intended on adopting Claire yourself anyway. Am I right, Heidi? It's a shame how many people take in foster children simply for the monthly check they receive."

"How dare you insinuate that I'm using Claire for a monthly check! It's not even that much money anyway! It's certainly not enough money considering all the shit I have to put up with from that wretched child!"

"Maybe Claire should leave and stay with me for a while until the adoption process is complete," Mrs. Kirksey gently suggested.

Heidi flew off the handle. I heard glass breaking and screams from the adjoining room. Dropping my backpack to the ground, I slid down the wall near the den, wrapping my arms around my knees rocking back and forth, forcing my mind to remember happy times. I thought of Shirley and I baking cakes. She always let me lick the bowl when she finished. I remembered the time Bill built me a small, rickety tree house that terrified Shirley every time I climbed the wooden steps nailed to the tree.

"Claire," a voice said, snapping me out of my thoughts. Looking up I saw Mrs. Kirksey hovering over me. "Get up and come with me. We're leaving this horrible place." Nodding, I followed her, casting one last look over my shoulder to the short, empty hallway near the den which led to my bedroom. More than anything, I wanted my books. But I left them there. I left Heidi there too, screaming and cursing as she destroyed her pristine house in a fury.

I stayed with Mrs. Kirksey for a few weeks. She was a nice lady. Her husband was dead and she had no children. She explained that my mother never wanted to give me up for adoption. My mother always wanted me, just like Shirley always told me. I nodded as though I understood, but I didn't. Not really. How could a mother give away her child?

It was a Sunday when my mother arrived. I remember it was a Sunday because Mrs. Kirksey carried me to church with her every Sunday. We met my mother and her boyfriend, Emmett, at a nice restaurant not very far from the church. Sitting in the chair at the shiny wooden table, I forced myself to remain as still as possible just in case my mother was anything like Heidi and didn't like a wiggle worm.

When my mama first entered the restaurant, I was too terrified to look up. What if she didn't like the way I looked? Heidi always told me I was too plain. She said she wished I was pretty like her, but I wasn't. It was the sniffling that finally drew my attention to my mother. She stood beside a tall, muscular man who beamed at me. Deep dimples sat embedded in his face and as huge as he was he wasn't menacing at all. Emmett reminded me of a teddy bear Bill once gave me. I wish I still had that bear, but I left it at Heidi's.

My eyes wandered back to my mother and I stiffened, for she immediately reminded me of Heidi, except she didn't have a scowl on her face. My mama was beautiful like the angels on the stained glass windows in Mrs. Kirksey's church. Her hair was golden blonde and wavy, falling past her shoulders. I'd never seen anyone with eyes the color of my mother's. They reminded me of the violets that grew in Shirley's flowerbed when I was a small child. Her beauty, the fancy clothes and the expensive perfume lingering in the air around her reminded me of Heidi and all I felt at that moment was disappointment and sadness.

My mama's name was Rose, like the flower. It suited her. She was pretty and smelled nice. But she cried too much. Over the next couple of weeks she'd meet me and Mrs. Kirksey every day. Sometimes they'd take me to the arcade. My mama would give me a cup full of tokens and I'd take it hesitantly, walking slowly around the room careful not to get dirty. Sometimes I'd glance over to where her, Mrs. Kirksey and Emmett sat and find Mrs. Kirksey and Emmett in deep conversation. My mama didn't talk to them much though. Her eyes were on me. They were always on me.

She seemed sad that I wouldn't talk to her. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to know everything about her, but I was too afraid. What if she didn't like my voice? What if I said the wrong thing? Would she send me back to the girl's home and then into foster care. Maybe she was putting on an act like Heidi did. Maybe she just wanted the case worker to_ think_ she was sad because I refused to speak.

We left Oklahoma two weeks later. I never got my books or my teddy bear back, but Emmett made up for it somewhat. Climbing into the cab of his truck I froze as my eyes fell on overflowing bags of toys and stuffed animals. I slid into the cab and slowly reached out for a floppy-eared yellow bunny rabbit. It was a childish toy and too young for me, but I didn't care. I clutched that bunny to my chest and gave Emmett a tiny smile. It hurt my face to smile because I wasn't used to smiling any more. Tears formed in his eyes. Clearing his throat he turned away and I frowned, wondering if I'd offended him. Maybe he didn't want to look at me. Maybe I was too plain, just like Heidi said.

It was a long drive from Oklahoma to Tennessee. We stayed in a motel one night. My mama wanted to help me take a bath and I panicked. What if she was angry over something I'd done? What if she threw me in cold water like Heidi always did? I began crying and she tried to comfort me by giving me a hug, but I shrugged her away. Running to one of the beds I quickly slid under the covers and hid. I heard Emmett talking to my mama quietly before he left the room for the adjoining room he rented next door. My mama went to her bed sometime that night but I'm not sure when.

Tennessee looked a lot different from Oklahoma. The land wasn't as flat and the fields weren't the color of gold. Tennessee was just as beautiful though, and I hoped that things _did_ work out for me and my mama because I didn't want to go back to the girl's home or to Heidi.

My mama had a nice house. It was two whole stories and white with a huge porch and thick columns on the front. The inside looked like a museum and the thought of moving terrified me because I didn't want to break anything. She showed me to my bedroom and I tried to not be too disappointed by the frilly white bedspread or the walls painted in pale pink. I followed her to the backyard and she showed me a tall wooden playhouse that she said Emmett and his cousin Jasper built for me. Jasper was a strange name.

The playhouse was perfect. It was white with little flower boxes in the windows and a tiny porch. There were real working lights inside and thin, gray carpet on the floor. A small table and two chairs sat nearby and there was even a loft with a ladder attached. Climbing the ladder I grinned when I saw that the loft was actually a bed. Flopping down on the covers I closed my eyes with a smile on my face, feeling content for the first time in years. My mama left me there to myself. Maybe she wouldn't watch me so much anymore. The thought worried me a little. I didn't want to lose her interest but I did like spending time to myself. After awhile I grew tired and found myself lost in a dreamless sleep.

One day my mama said she wanted me to meet Emmett's family. Meeting new people always made me nervous. What if they didn't like me? My mama put a pretty dress on me and made me wear a bow in my hair. I didn't like it, but of course I didn't tell her that. I didn't tell her anything. Making her mad was the last thing I wanted.

Emmett picked us up in his big truck and we drove out to a humongous house with a gate and everything. My eyes widened as he put in a code and the gate slowly opened. I followed them to the front porch and stood nervously to one side as Emmett punched in some numbers on a small box near the door. I heard a clicking sound and Emmett opened the door, entering the house with a big silly grin on his face. I followed my mama inside, my eyes trained nervously on the ground.

"Honey, we're home!" Emmett hollered. His voice didn't scare me anymore. Emmett was a loud person but he didn't know any better.

Two women stood by the bar. They were both tiny, but one was tiny to the extreme. She reminded me of one of those women from the old days who wore shiny dresses and feathers in their hair. This woman didn't have a feather in her hair, but she did wear a short, shiny dress. Black curls pressed tightly against her head and she had pretty green eyes. A huge grin graced her face and she took a step towards me, but the woman beside her grabbed her hand, preventing her from any further movement.

I stared at the other woman because there was something intriguing about her that I couldn't explain. Maybe it was because she wasn't dressed as fancy as the other people in the room or maybe it was because she had the large, round belly of a woman who was very pregnant. Her hair was the color of mahogany and it flowed down her back in large waves. A handsome man stood nearby who stared at her with what I can only describe as love in his eyes, but she didn't even notice his gaze as her eyes stayed glued to mine. The man was tall and lanky with an odd shade of hair and green eyes that matched the raven-haired girl's.

I hadn't seen very much love in my life, but the few times I did really stood out. Bill and Shirley looked at one another the way these two did, and my mama and Emmett shared the same look as well.

"So this is Claire," the tall man said, his eyes finally leaving the pregnant form of the woman standing nearby. I dropped my gaze to the floor as I felt everyone staring at me.

My mama announced that she was taking me to a game room. I followed her downstairs and gazed around in wonder at all the video games and the pool table downstairs. My mama said that Edward, the man with the crazy hair, told her I could come over and play with his games anytime I wanted. This made me happy, but I still wasn't comfortable in the big fancy house with the shiny floors. I wondered how the brown hair girl fit into the picture, because she didn't look like the type of person who'd like living there either.

I found out during supper that the doe-eyed girl was Bella, Emmett's sister. She served me a plate of pot roast and I stared down at it in distaste. I'd never eaten pot roast before. Heidi didn't like cooking so I basically lived off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or macaroni and cheese for the past year. Bella watched me carefully and did something no one else had done. She read my mind.

Bella left the room and returned with a huge piece of pie. It was white with tiny pieces of crushed chocolate cookies in it. She shoved my plate of pot roast out of the way and replaced it with the pie. I looked down at it and then to her, unsure that she actually wanted me to eat the dessert.

"Really, Bella?" my mama whispered, shaking her head slightly at the giant piece of Oreo pie in front of me. Bella said nothing in response, pretending she was mesmerized by the large chunk of pot roast that she speared with her fork.

"I always wanted to eat dessert first when I was a kid," she eventually said in a wistful voice, grinning at Edward who had a small smile playing on his lips. "But no one ever let me." Shrugging, she turned her attention back to her plate, shoving a huge piece of potato in her mouth.

No one ever offered me dessert first before a meal. I ate the pie slowly, taking my time as I savored the sweetness against my tongue. It was the best thing I'd ever eaten in my life. When I finished I looked back at Bella who shot me a knowing grin. I tried to smile even though it still hurt a little.

Her face brightened and she darted from the room returning with an equally large piece of pie. She gathered my dirty plates and left the room, returning with a slice of pie of her own. I'd never heard anyone moan while they ate, but Bella did when she ate her pie. Edward shifted in the seat beside her and I wondered if her moaning upset him.

I'd never met anyone like Bella. She talked with her mouth full, pieces of cookie stuck between her teeth. When someone said something she didn't agree with she'd roll her eyes like someone my age. I think that's why I felt drawn to her. Bella was a little girl trapped inside a young adult's body, something I was unfamiliar with. Everyone at the table discreetly asked me questions waiting for me to respond, but Bella didn't. She scoffed at everyone, rolling her eyes yet again and told them to quit bugging me. Bella made me smile.

After supper everyone retreated to the den but I followed Bella to the kitchen. She shooed everyone away as they deposited their plates in the sink. Her face turned red when Edward tried to help her put the plates in the dishwasher and he seemed to understand that she didn't want him in there. I sat at the bar and she turned and jumped slightly when she saw me, laughing and pressing her hand against her chest.

"Don't send me into early labor Claire!" she scolded with a grin, wagging her finger at me.

I watched as she begin humming and rinsing the dishes off, swinging her hips to whatever song she had playing inside her head. She filled the dishwasher up and turned it on before turning back to the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen. Pressing her finger to her lips and giving me a sneaky grin she disappeared behind the island and I leaned over the bar to see what she was doing. I heard her rummaging around in a drawer before she finally popped back up, peering over my shoulder. There was a family size bag of M&M's in her hands.

"Give me some sort of signal if you see Edward headed this way," she whispered, her brown eyes wide with seriousness. Nodding, I turned in my seat to see if anyone was looking. They weren't. Turning back I gave her the thumbs up and she grinned, shoving a handful of chocolate candy in her mouth.

"Mmmmm...so ggwood," she moaned as she savored the taste of chocolate melting in her mouth. I couldn't help but snicker at the sound, my eyes widening in shock as I slapped my hand over my mouth. It was an accident. I didn't mean for it to come out.

"It's okay," Bella said in a careless voice, popping more of the candy in her mouth. "If I were you I'd laugh too. But I just can't help myself. Whenever I'm near chocolate I just go cray-cray."

My hand dropped from my mouth at her words. What the heck did 'cray-cray' mean? Did she mean 'crazy'? I wasn't sure. Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned to see the handsome blonde haired man named Jasper standing nearby, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He grinned at Bella and raised one eyebrow as he watched her nervously fumble with the bag of chocolates, trying her best to conceal it in it's hiding spot.

"Claire, I see you've caught Bella doing exactly what we all know she's been doing the entire time she's been pregnant," he laughed, pushing himself off the wall, his blue eyes sparkling. "Hiding food from Edward."

Bella stuck out her tongue at her cousin and said, "If he didn't act like my dietician instead of my fiancé maybe I wouldn't have to hide my food all the time!"

Jasper laughed and left the room, giving me one last grin before he disappeared. Bella peeped over my shoulder again and removed the bag of M&M's, shoving another handful in her mouth. She held the bag out in offering but I shook my head, my belly full from all the pie I ate. Shrugging, she hid it one last time and slowly chewed the candy with her eyes rolled back in her head. The sight of that made me giggle and that time I didn't cover my mouth.

I didn't want to leave Bella and Edward's house, but my mama said we had to head home. Emmett dropped us off and I went up to my bedroom and sat at my small, white desk. There were some pads of paper and colorful pencils in the top drawer. I pulled out a brown one because they reminded me of the chocolate Bella loved and they also matched the color of her eyes. Pressing the tip of the pencil against the pad I wrote her name on each line in cursive. Her name was pretty. Bella. It even looked pretty on paper.

When I woke up the next day I found my mama sitting at my desk looking at the pad of paper, her brow wrinkled in confusion. Sitting straight up in bed I stared at her, worried by the expression on her face. Hearing the rustling of sheets, she turned in the tiny chair and the look melted away, replaced by a gentle smile.

"Good morning, sweetie," she said softly and I knew I hadn't offended her. Breathing a sigh of relief I watched as she held the notepad up in question. "Do you like Ms. Bella?" I nodded slowly and she stared thoughtfully down at the paper.

"Sometimes I think Ms. Bella gets lonely in that big house," she mused, her eyes still on the notepad. "I'm willing to bet that she'd like some company from time to time. Would you like to stay with Ms. Bella sometime?"

An excited grin broke across my face and I nodded excitedly. My mama looked shocked at first by my expression but then quickly grinned back.

"I'll call her and see what she says. She goes to the doctor quite a bit, so we'll schedule around those days. Okay?" she said. I nodded fervently and she gave me a gentle smile, placed the notepad back on the desk and left the room. By the time I got ready for the day my mama was back in my room.

"She wants to know if you can come over now?" she told me, her cell phone pressed against one ear and her voice sounding a little off. I nodded again, unable to keep myself from bouncing in place. My mama smiled, shook her head at my excitement and told Bella that we were on our way.

We arrived at Bella and Edward's house and Bella answered the door with a huge smile on her face. She was wearing a simple white shirt, a pair of gray yoga pants and fuzzy red socks. Bella practically shoved my mama out the door and pulled me inside chatting away like we'd known each other our whole lives.

"I'm sooo glad you're here," she sighed in a dramatic voice. "I get super bored every day! Let me clean up the house a little and we'll do some fun stuff, okay?" Her eyes sparkled and I nodded happily, following her to the laundry room.

Bella folded clothes and placed them in a basket chatting to me as I followed her around the house while she put the clothes away. She told me about moving to Memphis from Mississippi and the small apartment she once lived in. I listened as she described her neighbor, Angela, and her little boy, Eric. Bella told me about her best friends Carmen and Tia. I painted a picture in my head as she described the bar where she once worked. She told me a little about meeting Edward, but I could tell she was avoiding going into detail too much about that.

Bella finished with the laundry and I watched as she sewed a tear in a black suit jacket, explaining to me that Edward spent too much money on a suit that she could easily find somewhere cheaper. After she finished sewing she waddled to the kitchen, claiming that she was craving chocolate chip cookies. She didn't ask me to help her. She told me to. Bella handed me a large wooden spoon and turned on the oven. I mixed the ingredients that she dumped into the bowl, cringing when some of the flour fell on the counter. I'd made a mess. Tears formed in my eyes but she didn't seem to notice. Bella grabbed a wet dishcloth and cleaned the counter, never pausing as she continued to talk. Sighing heavily, I continued to mix the ingredients and listen to my new friend intently.

Bella gave me a spoon and showed me how to scoop the mix out of the bowl and place it on the cookie sheet. I filled two sheets up by myself and beamed up at her proudly. She grinned in response and shoved the cookie sheets inside the oven. Bella washed the bowl and utensils we used, by hand, throwing me a dish towel and instructing me to dry the dishes after she rinsed them. She turned on her iPod and began singing in a horrible, off-key voice. Bella loved to sing, but couldn't carry a tune whatsoever. For some reason Bella enjoyed listening to sad country music. Bella began singing the most depressing song I ever heard.

_"He said I'll love you till I die. She told him you'll forget in time. As the years went slowly by she still preyed upon his mind. He kept her picture on his wall. Went half crazy down in here. He still loved her through it all hoping she'd come back again," _Bella crooned, clutching her chest and swaying dramatically, her eyes pressed shut. I giggled at her antics as I dried a spoon with the small towel.

_"Kept some letters by his bed dated 1962. He had underlined in red, every single 'I love you'. I went to see him just today. Oh, but I didn't see no tears. All dressed up to go away. First time I'd seen him smile in years,"_ she continued, her voice breaking on the last note.

_"He stopped loving her today. They placed a wreath upon his door. And soon they'll carry him away. He stopped loving her today," _she sang. My eyes widened in horror the words slowly sunk in.

_"You know, she came to see him one last time. And we all wondered if she would. And it kept running through my mind, this time he's over her for good,"_ she stopped singing as the chorus began again, tears streaming down her face. Bella wiped them hastily away with the back of her hand, taking a deep, ragged breath as I stared at her in concern. Bella turned to me with her brown eyes full of tears.

"He died," she said in a flat voice, staring at me with such seriousness that I dropped the spoon I was holding. "He stopped loving her because he died. He loved her his entire life until he died. Isn't that sad? And romantic?" The tears overflowed once again and I offered her a clean dish towel that sat neatly folded nearby. She thanked me and blew her nose in the dish towel as I wrinkled my own nose in disgust.

It was then that I finally realized what 'cray-cray' truly meant.

"These pregnancy hormones have me all out of whack," Bella whispered in an apologetic voice. I reached out and patted her comfortingly on her back and she gave me a soft smile, shocking me by pulling me into a big hug. Her belly was surprisingly firm against my body and as she released me I stared down at in curiously.

"Oh, they're kicking! Do you want to feel?" she asked excitedly, not waiting on an answer before she grabbed my hand and pressed it firmly against her swollen belly. My hand lingered below hers for a moment and then the strangest thing happened. I felt movement against my palm. I glanced up at her in wide-eyed wonder as I felt a firm kick. Bella grinned at me and laughed at my expression.

"There's two in there!" she chirped, releasing my hand. Two? She had two babies inside her? I kept my hand where it was, silently begging for another kick. My wish was granted when I felt something bump against me.

"Uh, they're jumping on my bladder. Let me pee and we'll find something else to do, okay?" she asked. I nodded and wandered into the living room, glancing at a well-worn book that sat on the coffee table. The cover of the book was a brown, almost red color with a tree leaning across the front. The pages were a faded yellow and the edges of the cover were frayed, revealing the white paper beneath.

Sitting on the couch I reached over and picked up the book, slowly opened it, freezing as I noticed sloppy scrawl trailing across the inside. I ran my fingers over the words, which read 'Bella Swan, age 10'. Bella wrote those words when she was just a little older than me. Suddenly, morbidly curious, I flipped through to the first page and lost myself in another time, in someone else's life. That is, until Bella found me with my nose pressed in the book. She gasped in shock, slightly startling me and I dropped the book.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Claire Bear," she apologized, flopping down beside me as I shut the book, a plate of cookies in her lap. She sat the cookies on the coffee table and sighed. "I just don't know if you should read that. It's a little mature for you."

Raising one eyebrow I opened the book and pointed to the inside cover, telling her without speaking that she was just a year older than me when she read the book herself. Her face softened and she gave me a tender smile.

"It's one of my favorites," she admitted, chewing on the corner of her mouth. "But I didn't fully understand it until I got a little older. Then I re-read it and fell in love with it all over again."

Pointing at the book I shrugged, my eyebrows raised in question and she sighed, immediately knowing what I asked.

"You want me to tell you about it?" she asked. I nodded my head adamantly and she continued to chew on her lip for a second before shrugging.

Bella began telling me about the book. She called it a 'southern gothic'. The main character was a little girl named Scout. I listened intently as she explained Scout's life, her family, Boo Radley, the Great Depression and racial injustice. I'd never heard anyone speak the way she did about a book with just zest and I found myself engrossed in her words as her face lit up and her hands gestured wildly. When she finished she took a deep breath and fell back against the couch.

"The author of that book," Bella began, breaking the silence and pointing to the book clutched in my hands. "She's kinda like you. She doesn't like to speak either, at least not in public. That novel won her the Pulitzer-Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but she always refused to make any speeches," Bella said thoughtfully. "She's really smart. She said one of my favorite quotes. 'Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing'. I think what she's trying to say is that the things we love come naturally to us and we don't know how precious it is until it's not there anymore, ya know? Sometimes you don't know how important something is until it's gone."

Bella's voice trailed off and she stared at the ceiling lost in thought. I wondered what was going through her mind and I wished I could ask her. I even opened my mouth a few times but nothing came out. Frowning in frustration, I pulled on her shirt sleeve a few times, snapping her back to reality. She glanced over at me and tilted her head to the side in question. I pointed to her face and she gave me a sad smile. After a long pause, she searched my eyes and her face held a look of determination.

"I have a secret," she whispered in admission, studying my features carefully. "Something happened a while back and I should have told Edward. A lot of time has gone by and I still haven't told him. Now I'm worried that he'll think I kept it from him because I wanted it. But I didn't want it, Claire. I swear on my mother's grave I didn't want it." Bella's eyes filled with tears and she looked away from me, gazing out the window nearby. Lantana grew tall in front of the window and vibrantly colored hummingbirds hovered over them, drinking their sweet nectar.

Hating to see Bella cry and wanting to help, I gestured with my hands for something to write on. Bella wiped her face and left the room, returning with a notepad and pen. I quickly scribbled across the page and handed her the pad.

"It's better to tell him now than wait and let him find out on his own," she said, reading my words out loud. She dropped the pad on her lap and slowly nodded. "You're right. I shouldn't have kept it a secret in the first place. I'm gonna tell him tonight." She nodded with determination and I grinned at her, giving her the thumbs up. Then I held the book up in question and she laughed.

"Yes, you can borrow it, but only if your mother says it's alright. Claire Bear, I won't ask you to talk. But one day I think you'll realize that there's a lot of people who love you and can't wait to hear your voice. Hey, it can't be any worse than my singing voice, can it?" she asked, laughing when I violently shook my head. She laughed so hard she nearly fell off the couch and I chuckled along with her. When the two of us quieted down, I pointed at the author's name on the book and then to her belly.

"What? You think I should name one of them 'Harper'?" she asked, and I nodded enthusiastically. A contemplative looked crossed her face and she nodded slowly. "I think you're right. I love the name 'Harper'. I always have. Okay, so I'll run it by Edward and see what he thinks. We picked out 'Carlie' for one of the names, so I just have two more to pick out. Maybe you can help me come up with some more ideas when you come over again. Does that sound okay?"

I gave her another enthusiastic nod and she smiled, patting me on the knee. The doorbell rang and she left to go answer it. I heard my mama's voice in the foyer and I hopped off the couch, feeling slightly guilty that I didn't want to leave Bella just yet. She spoke to me like we were equals. She didn't tiptoe around me and she didn't filter her words. There was no acting involved. Bella was just Bella. Either you liked her or you didn't. She made no apologies for who she was, flaws and all. And I found myself instantly loving her.

**If there ever****_ is_**** a sequel, I totally see an older Claire getting her revenge on Heidi. **

**Bella's gonna tell Edward about Garrett? I wonder how that'll turn out. Do you see him flying into a rage or will he be completely understanding?**

**Review and let me know what you think. **

**I'll be cowering in the corner singing some George Jones.**

**Peace and Love,**

**Jhood**


	32. Chapter 32: These Are My Confessions

_Previously, in Chapter Thirty-One..._

_I heard my mama's voice in the foyer and I hopped off the couch, feeling slightly guilty that I didn't want to leave Bella just yet. She spoke to me like we were equals. She didn't tiptoe around me and she didn't filter her words. There was no acting involved. Bella was just Bella. Either you liked her or you didn't. She made no apologies for who she was, flaws and all. And I found myself instantly loving her._

**Chapter Thirty-Two: These Are My Confessions**

**BPOV**

My Mamaw Swan always said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. I only hoped that it was also the pathway to forgiveness and understanding as well.

After Claire and Rose left I began to prepare the ultimate meal for Edward Cullen. I knew it was probably stupid to assume a little comfort food would help smooth things over but, hey, what could it hurt? I'd spent the rest of the day after Claire left obsessed over how to tell Edward about Garrett and envisioned his reaction.

The images in my head weren't pretty.

Emmett hadn't been home all day. He was busy looking for a new place to stay since he'd decided to make Memphis his permanent home. Emmett made an important decision when he left after the New Year's Eve fiasco. Emmett voiced that he grew weary of his ex-con status and wanted to prove himself worthy of Rose and hopefully to her parents as well. While he hid out at an old buddy's house in Mississippi, he'd looked into taking some online college courses. He still wasn't exactly sure what to do with his future, but I imagined it would involve computers since that was his biggest passion in life, apart from Rose and Claire. I'd never been so proud of my knucklehead brother in my life. He was finally growing up and looking out for himself.

Jasper, on the other hand, stayed home all day packing. He was leaving for Jackson in a few days. Alice helped him pack most of his belongings in the evening time when she wasn't busy at work, but there were still a few things left for him to pack. There was a strange sense of sadness and discomfort that lingered in the air in the Cullen home because of his impending departure. I'd miss him like crazy and I had a feeling that Edward felt the same way. The two of them grew surprisingly close since his arrival in Memphis which was strange because Jasper didn't have a lot of friends whom he was close with, apart from old contacts from the past or people in the FBI. Jasper wandered downstairs near supper time, taking a break from his packing to watch me rush around the kitchen like the crazy pregnant woman I'd become.

One of my first fond memories of Edward was also a disturbing one as well. I remembered the night I the henchmen accosted me in the alleyway. Edward followed me that night and the two of us saved each other...literally. Later that night Edward took his time licking his lips and sucking grease off his fingers from my famous friend chicken. He confessed to me multiple times that there were many things about me that won his heart...including my fried chicken. It only seemed appropriate that I include fried chicken in my confession/apology meal.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked casually as he leaned against the bar and watched as I rushed around the kitchen throwing the meal together. His honey-colored hair was still slightly wet from a recent shower, curling over his collar and the smell of strawberries and tobacco lingered in the air around him from the cigarillo he'd smoked outside. Jasper stopped smoking around me since the day he found out I was pregnant but he continued to sneak cigars outdoors.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I snapped, exasperated. I mean, come on! It was obvious I was cooking supper. I began slicing boiled eggs in half and throwing them on a plate after scooping out the centers. Yes, I even swallowed the bile that rose in my throat over the smell of eggs just for Edward. The man did love my deviled eggs.

"Fried chicken, deviled eggs, collard greens, black-eyed peas, buttermilk biscuits and gravy. I haven't seen a spread like this since you accidentally broke Edward's great-grandmother's vase. What have you done now, Bella?" Jasper asked with a sideways, knowing grin that slowly fell away from his face once he stared into my worried eyes. His expression became replaced with a look of suspicion. Damn him and his intuition.

Throwing the biscuits in red-checkered cloth-lined basket, I took a deep breath and brushed aside a strand of sweaty brown hair out of my eyes. Freakishly hot kitchen! Turning to Jasper, I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms and drawing the corner of my bottom lip into my mouth. I stared at his intense blue eyes as he thoroughly examined my face. What would it hurt to tell Jasper about Garrett? He'd know eventually anyway. Edward would blow a gasket when he found out. Hell, he'd probably try to talk Jasper into helping hunt Garrett down and kill him.

"The night the girls threw me the baby shower...well, I went upstairs hunting for some ice cream. G was sitting there, almost like he was waiting for me. He claimed he was just dropping by to check in on me. But that's not all. When we were hiding out in Mississippi Garrett kissed me," I said in a rush, the weight of the secret slowly creeping away. Oh, not all of that weight was gone. Most of it was still there. And it would remain there, even after I confessed what happened to Edward.

Jasper's face went from an intense, questioning stare, to horror and then to anger. An angry Jasper was a scary thing. Jasper rarely grew angry, even smiling lazily when Carlisle humiliated the lot of us in front of Edward's family after Thanksgiving dinner. But the expression on his face when I confessed what Garrett did...it was pure wrath.

"Start at the beginning and don't leave out one word," he told me quietly, his blue eyes boring darkly into my brown ones. Nodding numbly, I told him everything. I explained how Garrett approached me in the sporting goods store, offered his help with killing James, cupped my face with his hands and kissed me. I'd already told Jasper the story of Garrett offering his help with James, but I'd previously left out the part about Garrett's kiss. I explained every word exchanged between the two of us in the loft, not leaving out the part where I decked him and Tia and Carmen showing up.

"I never told Edward," I admitted in a whisper, shame flooding over me. "I never told anyone...until today. I told Claire."

"You told Claire," Jasper repeated, his face slowly turning an alarming shade of red. "You told a nine-year old girl that you kissed another man, a man who's not your fiancé and is not the father of your children."

"Yes, I told Claire! I needed to get it off my chest! And I didn't kiss him!" I hissed, throwing my hands up in annoyance. "_He_ kissed _me_! I feel guilty enough about keeping it a secret from Edward, but I'll be _damned_ if I feel guilty about something that I didn't want in the first place!"

"What didn't you want?" a smooth, curious voice asked from behind me. My body stiffened as his warm arms curled around me, his sweet scent invading my body as he pressed a kiss to my cheek. He obviously missed the majority of my rant. My eyes flew to where my cousin stood, glaring at me as though I were the scum of the earth.

"I'll be around when one of you need me. And you will. Need me, that is," Jasper muttered, as he ran his fingers through his shaggy hair and shook his head in disgust before he hastily exited the room. Edward turned his head, watched him leave and slowly released me from his snug embrace.

"What's wrong with Jasper?" he asked, as he walked past me. He snatched a deviled egg of the platter, popped the entire thing in his mouth and practically swallowed it whole. He moaned quietly as he chewed and if not for the impending situation I'd found myself heavily turned on by the sound. That and the fact that he still had on the dark suit he work to work. The collar of his white shirt was unbuttoned a bit, exposing the top of his well-defined chest. I found myself staring at the beautiful man in front of me as he grabbed another deviled egg and slid it between his lips.

"Are you ready to eat supper?" I asked, dropping my eyes from my prolonged stare as I chose to ignore his question. Edward nodded and grinned before he helped me take the multitude of platters and bowls to the dining room table. I fixed his plate for him, as I did at every meal. Edward gave me a sweet kiss before sitting at the head of the table with me sitting to his right.

"Did you have a good day?" Edward asked, as he gazed up at me from his plate with those pine-colored eyes.

"Yes. Claire came over and spent some time with me," I said, glancing up at Edward's surprised face.

Between bites of food I went into detail about the day the two of us had together. Edward smiled and hummed approvingly as I told him about the events of the day. After we finished supper, I grabbed the peach cobbler and ice cream, scooped out a hefty amount into a bowl and plopped it down in front of Edward. I'd mentally prepped myself throughout the meal to drop the bombshell as gently as I could during dessert.

"Edward," I began as he licked the last bite of cobbler and ice cream from his spoon. He glanced up at me with a smile on his face that quickly melted once he took in my expression. His eyes flitted around my face carefully for a moment. Then he dropped his spoon in his bowl and leaned back in his chair.

"I don't like that look," he said in a cool voice, narrowing his eyes as he stared at me. "That's the same look you give me every time you say something that inevitably pisses me off." I hesitated, wondering how to even respond to his remark. There was no appropriate response. Not really. He was right. He'd be pissed and he'd have every right to feel angry over the secret I'd kept. Taking a deep breath, I decided just to put it out there.

"Do you remember the day I spoke to you on the phone while Jasper and Emmett had us stashed away in Mississippi?" I asked, wrinkling my forehead in worry. He nodded slightly, a suspicious and already slightly angry look crossing his face.

"Well," I continued, taking another deep breath. "That was the day I saw Garrett, or G as you might know him. He was in the sporting goods store. He approached me and offered to help me find James."

"I already know that, Bella," Edward said in a deadly calm voice. "We've discussed this since you returned home."

"I know," I said, willing myself not to cry. "But what I didn't tell you is that Garrett kissed me. He reached out and touched my face and kissed me..." My voice trailed off at the end, my eyes trained on the shiny, antique table in front of me, somehow mesmerized by the wood grain surface. My heart thumped erratically in my chest and my palms suddenly became sweaty.

Edward said nothing for a long time. There was hardly any in the room, aside from my ragged breath and what sounded like an angry growl that came somewhere deep within his chest. There was also the ticking of the grandfather clock which stood nearby. The thing was massive in size and made a haunting sound.

"Bella, that happened months ago. Why are you just now telling me this?" he asked quietly, his voice sounding much more patient than what he probably felt.

"Is it because you liked it?" he continued as he tilted his head to the side. "Did you enjoy kissing another man, Bella? That's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with. Why else would you keep it a secret for so long?"

"I told myself that it didn't matter, that his kiss meant nothing to me," I told him quietly, the sting of his accusation feeling like a punch to the chest. "And it _didn't_ mean anything to me. But maybe it did to him. Because he's back. He was hiding in the loft the night of the baby shower. Alice forgot to bring ice cream, so I went upstairs to grab some from the freezer. Garrett was sitting at the table smiling at me. He said he was in town checking on me...and maybe to find someone special, like I'd suggested. I've made it clear that he should find someone else, someone besides me."

I continued to stare at the tabletop for a long moment as I refused to look into his eyes. What would I see when I met those green orbs? Hurt? Betrayal? Edward finally grew impatient, not waiting on me to respond before he slammed his fist down on the table. The dishes and silverware clanked loudly. Jumping at the sudden movement, I let out a squeal of surprise. My eyes darted up to his and all I saw was fury. Edward's face was practically purple and contorted in anger. My mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out. In one, fluid motion Edward swept the dirty dishes from the floor. The delicate china smashed to pieces as it hit the cold, hard marble.

"You let another man touch you...and then you find him in our loft, the same loft where we made love for the first time? And you fail to tell me this until now? Are you sure you didn't enjoy it Bella?" his cold voice said as he continued to glower at me, his hands clutched in hard, tight fists that rested on the tabletop. He pushed himself up into a standing position and hovered over me. Fury rolled off him in waves.

"No, I didn't enjoy it!" I told him in defense, finally finding my voice and a scowl to go along with it. "I didn't want or expect him to kiss me! I love you! Why would I want another man touching me...kissing me? You're it for me, Edward. You're the only man I'll ever love. This is exactly why I didn't tell you! I knew how you'd react! You immediately accuse me of enjoying another man throwing himself on me! You know, you really haven't changed as much as I thought you had."

Angry and hurt by his accusation I stood up from the table, shoving the old, ornate chair from behind me as I suddenly found myself physically and emotionally exhausted. The emotions churning inside me and the sudden rise from the table caused me to become light-headed. A memory of the doctor explaining how sudden rising from sitting caused some people's blood pressure to drop slightly flashed through my mind. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time I'd become light-headed. Grabbing the edge of the table, my eyelids fluttered as I swayed slightly. I found myself abruptly desperate for a nap, weakness settling in. I turned to leave the room, but Edward walked over to where I stood and gently wrapped his long, elegant fingers around my arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. His entire demeanor changed as he stared down at me in worry. Slightly swaying again, I glared back up at him, with what I imagined was irritation showing in my eyes.

"You're seriously giving me whiplash with your change in emotions," I growled, although the statement sounded less harsh than what I intended. He continued to gaze at me with nothing but concern, any hint of anger and accusation completely erased.

"Bella, let me help you to bed," he whispered, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear. "You don't look so good."

"I don't feel so good either," I grumbled, but allowed him to guide me to the bedroom.

Protests spewed from my mouth as I argued with Edward to let me clean the kitchen and put away the leftovers, but he simply ignored me. When we arrived in the bedroom he pulled to covers back and pulled my ridiculously comfortable pajamas from the chest of drawers, handing them to me.

"Do you need help putting them on?" he asked me quietly as he stood over me watching me, always watching me.

"No," I sighed, as I shrugged off my clothes and slipped on my pajamas. The urge to gaze up at his face was there, but I ignored it. I slipped under the covers and turned on my side, my back to where he stood. There was nothing left in me. There was no fight, no spark. I felt defeated and tired. If he hated me, he hated me. I let myself sink into a deep sleep as total exhaustion claimed my mind, body and soul.

**EPOV**

I'm not sure how long I sat in Bella's grandmother's wingback chair watching Bella rest. She'd turned away from me once she lay down, but after I heard her soft snores I moved the chairs and placed it so I could face her from where I sat. Bella lay on our bed, the thick comforter wrapped around her small frame. Well, her previously small frame. She was still tiny, except for her belly which was round from our children growing inside. Every time I thought of our children my heart would surge and my throat would constrict. A smile would break across my face and I realized what a lucky man I was. I found my soul mate and she was carrying our children. But that smile quickly faded away when I thought of one word.

Garrett.

Fucking Garrett. I remembered the cocky son of a bitch well. I also remember punching that smirk clean off his face. Apparently I didn't make myself clear the first time I met him. Maybe he needed another visit from Edward Cullen. But the next time I saw Garrett there'd be no punches thrown. There'd be nothing but bloodshed and death. How dare he touch, kiss my fiancé and break into the loft where we made love for the first time! How dare he cause friction and discord between me and my future wife! Yes, Bella and Jasper's friend would die a slow, painful death.

As I watched Bella sleeping in our warm bed, her soft mahogany hair pooled around her face, I struggled to push the image of Garrett's smirk from my mind. Was I more upset because Garrett kissed Bella or because she hid it for so long? Sighing heavily, I reminded myself that we all had secrets. I know I did.

Removing my cell from my pocket I quickly scrolled through until I found_ her_ name...the name of the woman I'd called and spoke to secretly for the past several months, something Bella knew nothing about. She answered on the third ring. She always answered. I quietly explained the events of the day, not leaving out one detail.

"So you're telling me that your pregnant fiancé babysit a nine-year old mute child all day, cleaned the house, cooked you a wonderful meal and then unloaded a secret upon you that's been troubling her for months and you're concerned because she's suddenly tired?" Dr. Marcy asked, her voice somewhat amused. I sighed heavily, running my fingers through my hair as I continued to watch my beautiful angel sleep.

"Thanks for making me feel like an idiot," I mumbled, scowling at the phone. I heard her quietly laugh. "I'm just worried about her."

"I know you're worried about her, Edward. And you're not an idiot. You're simply concerned with Bella and the twins well-being. It's understandable, but honey, you need to calm down. We've already discussed the orthostatic hypotension, remember? I explained to Bella that she shouldn't stand suddenly from a sitting position. With this being her first pregnancy she tends to forget these things from time to time."

"So you think that's what happened? Her blood pressure dropped?" I inquired, carefully studying my resting fiancé's face. Bella's lips were drawn into a sexy pout and I couldn't resist the urge to reach out and brush my finger softly against her cheek. Bella moved a bit and I heard her mumble my name..._my_ name.

"Yes, Edward. I really do. Is she sweating? Did she tremble after she stood up? Did she become nauseous or confused?"

"No, she didn't do any of that," I replied, reaching out to pull the covers over her shoulders. With her eyes still shut, she wiggled slightly and smiled. I couldn't help but smile back.

"If she shows any of those symptoms call me back, but for now I'm positive that she just needs some rest. Are you still watching her fluid intake?"

"Yes, but it's difficult," I chuckled. Bella hated how I watched everything that she put in her mouth, food and fluids alike. "I finally talked her into laying off the sweet tea. We replaced the sugar with Splenda, but she hates it, so she rarely drinks it. She's drinking more water now too. I think she's tired of hearing me gripe about it." The doctor and I shared a good laugh, mine not as loud as hers.

"Sounds like you have things under control, Edward," she said. "Try keeping the stress to a minimum. I'm sure that's one of many reasons she harbored this secret deep inside. Edward, I haven't known you long but in that short amount of time I can definitely say that you're an intense person, though not as intense _now_ as when I first met you. Bella was probably scared of your reaction to her confession. Bella is a very sweet girl. I'm sure she was only doing what she thought was best. Edward, do me a favor and close your eyes."

"What?" I asked, knotting my eyebrows in confusion.

"Just do what I say, Edward," she scolded in a stern voice. Freaking stubborn southern women. Sighing, I agreed and closed my eyes, telling her when I did so.

"Okay, now I want you to put yourself in Bella's place. You're a twenty-two year old girl who moves to a big, strange city after living in the country your entire life. You have no family, no friends where you live. You have nothing but an abusive past. And then something wonderful happens. You start making a small, but tight group of friends. You meet a person who shows you love like no other ever has before. You finally feel a sense of happiness that you've never felt in your life. And then something happens to threaten that happiness. Edward, it's easy for me to see how Bella thought keeping this secret would somehow keep the peace in her world. It wasn't the best decision, but I can understand why she did it."

"You're right," I muttered. I opened my eyes and stared once again at my sleeping beauty. "I completely overreacted."

The doctor ended the call with strict instructions to call her back if Bella started having any of the symptoms that we previously discussed. Before returning my phone to my suit pocket, I shot Sam a quick text. Within minutes he rapped lightly on the bedroom door, a curious expression on his face as he peered at me from the hallway.

"Our old friend Garrett was waiting for Bella in the loft the night of the baby shower," I told him quietly a I pulled the bedroom door shut behind me and joined him in the hallway. I studied his face carefully for any sign of anything but shock, but found nothing. Sam looked genuinely surprised and concerned.

"I should talk to Emmett about the security breach. It's his responsibility to make sure things like this don't happen. He assured me that once he became head of security at the club that nothing like this would happen again," I said, referring to the situation on Halloween night when James slipped in. "I think I'll grab Jasper and head down to the club to talk to Emmett face to face. Do you think you can keep an eye on Bella for me? She felt bad earlier and she's sleeping now. I think she'll probably sleep the rest of the night, but if she starts looking or acting different, will you call me immediately?"

"Sure thing," Sam assured me with a nod of his head as he opened the bedroom door and began to slip in.

I hesitated in the hallway for a moment before saying, in a joking tone, "And no backrubs either."

Sam scowled at me, but I couldn't help but laugh. We'd made amends since the night I lost it after finding his hands on my fiancé and beating him into submission. It was one of the many regrets of my life, and Sam was well aware of that fact. I wasn't the type of person to hand out apologies for the things I'd done, but that was one of the few times I actually asked forgiveness from another person. Sam and I were friends for many years, and I felt immense guilt over what I did to him.

But I made it very clear that if he touched her in an inappropriate manner again I'd cut his throat. It was the same fate I planned for Garrett as well.

I found Jasper sitting at the dining room table cleaning his baretta. The dishes and food were put away. There was no signs of the delicate, broken china that I'd swept to the floor, and I wondered if he'd cleaned it up himself or if Sam had a hand in it. I slid the expensive suit jacket from my body and tossed it carelessly over one of the dining room chairs, standing near him as he ran a smooth cloth over the barrel of the gun.

I didn't wonder too long if he knew anything about the situation with Garrett. Because when he raised his blonde head and stared at me with those cold, dead blue eyes, he said one thing that led me to believe he knew all about Garrett...and even though they were friends, he was completely on my side.

"You grab the bullets. I've got the gun," he said in a friendly tone. His cold, dead eyes flashed mischievously. The corner of my mouth pulled up in a bitter smirk. It was good to have a friend like Jasper Swan.

**I plan on updating again tomorrow! Got some crazy planned for the next chapter LOL. Y'all know I love crazy :)**

**I don't get a lot of time to read since I've been writing, but I try to read WIP's when I get a chance. I've been lost in the world of fairies this weekend :)**

**I'm usually an AH kinda gal, but this story really stood out to me. It's magical and beautifully written. Check it out:**

**The Dark Dance by maliciouspixie5: _The fairy tales and warnings Bella Swan's grandmother used to tell her were real. Never, ever dance in a Fairy Circle, and never be drawn in by a handsome Fae male. One night Bella is drawn from her home into the forest – will she join the dance?_**

**Just for shits and giggles, I'd also like to add a segment called 'Reasons I think RL Carmen is on Drugs'. I've gotten some PM's asking if RL Carmen and RL Tia are anything like I portray them in _Breakaway Bella_. I'll let you be the judge of that:**

**Carmen Statement #1: You've only seen me come in to work f*cked up a couple of times.**

**Carmen Statement #2: I'll give you a dollar if you flash that truck.**

**Carmen Statement #3: Since I'm a shitty worker I guess I'll train another shitty worker.**

**Carmen Statement #4: Grabs left breasts and says, "I think I have gas in my chest."**

**Carmen Statement #5: Walks around muttering below her breath, "Stick to the plan, stick to the plan." It's this last statement that terrifies me.**

**Alright, y'all know your reviews thrill me. When I have time I try to reply to your reviews. Some of y'all have your PM's disabled, so I'm not able to send a personal thank you for the reviews. Tell me what you think's gonna happen next and how you felt about this chapter!**

**Peace and Love,**

**Jhood**


	33. Chapter 33: Princess and the Mercenary

_Previously, in Chapter Thirty-Two..._

_I didn't wonder too long if he knew anything about the situation with Garrett. Because when he raised his blonde head and stared at me with those cold, dead blue eyes, he said one thing that led me to believe he knew all about Garrett...and even though they were friends, he was completely on my side._

_"You grab the bullets. I've got the gun," he said in a friendly tone. His cold, dead eyes flashed mischievously. The corner of my mouth pulled up in a bitter smirk. It was good to have a friend like Jasper Swan._

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Princess and the Mercenary**

**EPOV**

It was only a matter of minutes before we arrived near Beale Street. Forgoing the parking garage, Jasper pulled his black muscle car in a vacant parking space a few blocks from Beale. He gave it a loving pat as he gently shut the door behind him and removed one of his small cigars from the front pocket of the black shirt he wore. The cigar hang precariously from his lips as he used a silver lighter to light it with. Instead of the trademark scent of strawberries, I was shocked by the smell of pineapple smoke that lingered in the air as the gray smoke swirled around him. Jasper noticed my curious gaze as he joined me on the sidewalk and gave me a half grin.

"I prefer the pineapple when I get excited," he said with a shrug as he dumped the ashes carelessly beside him while we walked.

Considering I never saw him smoke the pineapple flavored cigars, I assumed it took a lot to excite my friend Jasper.

We arrived at the club minutes later after we dodged a throng of drunk, half-dressed women who were somewhat obsessed with my quiet friend's ass. Jasper handled their assault well by casually smiling and explaining that he was 'getting hitched' soon. The women practically swooned at his thick, Mississippi accent and gentle smile as they giggled and stumbled away. I shook my head and laughed quietly. Some things never changed.

Emmett stood guard at the door of _Fate_ with a big goofy grin on his face as he meticulously checked people's driver's licenses for their proper age. We watched as he turned a couple of very young-looking girls away. The girls scowled and swore at him, their glittery eyelids narrowed in anger as Emmett wiggled his fingers goodbye at them. The girls stomped away furiously and I smiled as Emmett shrugged and went back to work.

"Em, we need to talk," I spoke up, gaining his attention.

He looked up in surprise, shocked to see me standing in front of the club. I rarely left Bella's side since her pregnancy. I only left her at home when I went to the office to work. Emmett's eyes drifted to where Jasper stood and he instantly stiffened once he took in the expression on his cousin's face. Or maybe it was the pineapple cigarillo. Emmett knew Jasper better than I did.

"Uh, oh," Emmett muttered, after he nodded at the other front door security guard and followed Jasper and I into the club. "What the hell's going on? I don't like that look y'all have on your faces."

"Garrett's in town," Jasper told him, speaking somewhat loudly over the thumping of the music. The club was dark aside from the spinning strobe lights hanging from the ceiling and the lights from the bar where I spied Tia and Jessica busily working. I wondered momentarily where Carmen was because she kept the same work schedule as Tia.

The three of us headed to the long, dark hallway where my office was located. We crept through the bodies of dancing, drunk bar patrons and somehow managed to make it to the office unscathed. The three of us pulled out some chairs in front of the video monitors that showed practically every corner of the club. Emmett's thick eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as Jasper and I gave him the quick rundown about Garrett, explaining how he kissed Bella and then later showed up in the upstairs loft. Emmett's face slowly turned redder and redder the longer he listened to us speak.

"That son of a biscuit eater," Emmett mumbled below his breath. "The new guy we hired quit out of the blue a few days ago and I've been hunting for someone to replace him, but I haven't found anyone qualified enough. We've been keeping a watch on the back door when we can, but it's hard to do when we're short handed. I swear, Edward, that door stays locked tighter than Dick's hatband twenty-four seven."

I'd forgotten that the new guy we hired to watch the alley door had up and quit. I wasn't angry with Emmett; he was doing all he could to secure the club to the best of his ability. Emmett turned to the monitors and pulled up the video feed from the night of the baby shower. The three of us watched with baited breaths as Garrett appeared in the alley that ran beside the club. There sat Able, the young man I'd hired after Embry's demise; the same man who'd recently abruptly quit. He was a large, beefy black man who weighed about two-hundred and forty pounds of pure muscle. The three of us stared at the monitor with narrowed eyes as we watched Garrett stroll casually up the alley to the man and begin a friendly conversation.

Suddenly, in one swift, smooth motion, Garrett throat punched him and the burly man slumped down from the stool on which he perched. Garrett looked down one end of the alley and then the other before he pulled the limp man's body a few feet and hid him around the side of the dumpster. Garrett reappeared, brushed his hands off on his ripped jeans and entered the bar through the alley door as though nothing took place.

On another monitor Emmett rewound the video feed until we saw Garrett take a right once he entered the club and casually strolled up the stairwell to the loft, as though he didn't have a care in the world. That was all the video feed, or so I thought. Emmett shot me a slightly guilty look.

"Now, don't be mad, okay?" he muttered, turning to a monitor that look newer, shinier than the others that sat on the long table. The monitor was unfamiliar, even a darker shade than the rest. I stared at him with one eyebrow raised in question.

"Hey, you told me I could do whatever I want with the security system," Emmett told me with a shrug as he pulled up the video feed. I stared at the screen in shock before turning to Emmett with a frown.

"Tell me that's not a camera you have inside my loft," I hissed, my face turning slightly red. Emmett's eyes grew round and he looked like a sad little puppy dog. Damn hit and his fucking puppy dog face. There was no way anyone could stay made at him for too long. Not even me.

"Okay, there's Garrett," Jasper interrupted in an excited whisper as his blue eyes shined.

The three of us leaned forward and stared intently at the video monitor. I watched as the son of a bitch strolled around my loft like he owned the joint. He even warmed up a slice of Bella's leftover fried apple pie and took his time eating it. If my face was red before, it was about to explode then. My pulse was racing and my forehead broke out in a cold sweat. I started swearing as he threw the dirty plate in the kitchen sink.

Then the fucker turned down the lights and took a nap on my mother fucking couch.

Emmett fast forwarded the video feed for a moment and we watched as Garrett sat up on the couch, yawned, stretched, glanced at his watch and stood watch near the window that overlooked Beale Street. After a lengthy amount of time, the cock sucker grinned down at something he saw and then walked across the room, placing himself behind the kitchen table. A calm, arrogant smile crossed his face and I forcibly removed Emmett's finger from where it hovered near the forward button. I forwarded the feed myself until I saw Bella enter the room. The three of us took in a collective deep breath and watched as Bella jumped and clutched her chest in surprise. I sighed in relief at the irritated look on Bella's face. She obviously wasn't too happy to see her old friend.

Garrett's eyes trailed down my fiance's body and I felt my chest tighten. Was it possible to have a heart attack at my age? That's what ran through my head as my sternum began to constrict in pain. On the screen, Garrett grinned at Bella. She said something and pointed to her bulging abdomen. Garrett replied to whatever she said and Bella grew angry. She darted towards Garrett and slugged him in the face. Jasper, Emmett and I pressed our faces close to the screen, huge grins on our faces as Bella chased Garrett to the bathroom. The pussy locked himself inside and Bella pounded on the door.

"Well, if there was any question whether Bella enjoyed the kiss, it's now been answered," I muttered, leaning back in the metal chair and running my hand through my messy hair. Jasper and Emmett stared at me with a matching scowl, as though the insinuation that Bella possibly enjoyed the kiss was completely ridiculous.

The rest of the video feed showed Carmen and Tia entering the loft. Garrett eventually left the bathroom and seemed to have some sort of moment with Carmen. After the girls left the loft Garrett turned down the lights, tossed his boots in the corner of the room and fell asleep in my bed.

I would burn that mother fucking bed.

Garrett left the next morning with a smile on his face and what looked like a whistle on his lips. Jasper chuckled below his breath and I shot him a distrustful glare. Jasper licked his lips, leaned back in his chair and gave me a casual shrug.

"I'm pissed off at the guy, but you gotta see the humor in it all," he drawled as he placed his hands behind his head. "That's one arrogant son of a bitch to break into your loft, eat your food and sleep in your bed. But that's Garrett. Even though you beat the hell out of him, it doesn't stop him from doing what he wants to do."

"Who's side are you on anyway?" I grumbled. I slammed my clenched fist on the table in front of me but unlike Bella, Emmett and Jasper never flinched. Emmett continued to mess with the video feed as Jasper grinned at me.

"I'm on your team, Edward. I'll always be on your team. You make Bella happy and that in turn makes me happy as well. Besides, I don't believe Garrett's in Memphis for a friendly visit. There's a reason he's here and I'd like to find out why before I head back to Jackson. I'm just not sure how I'll find out why he's here. The guy's like the invisible man. He blends in. He blends out. He vanishes. It's his specialty."

"What the...," Emmett whispered in awed voice as he all but glued himself to the screen on the video monitor. The three of us leaned forward again and watched the weirdest, freakiest shit I'd ever seen.

It was Carmen, Bella's friend and one of my best bartenders. She was standing in my loft with Garrett who sat nearby staring at her with hungry eyes. Carmen's hair was no longer a chin-length bob. Instead, she wore a long, black wig. The wig was stick straight and hung like a black curtain nearly to her waist. The front of the wig was cut in bangs. She wore a dress, but it wasn't simply 'a dress'. The thing was skin-tight, dark in color with gold overlay that traveled in swirls all over her bodice. The dress was sleeveless and short and obviously made of leather. On her right hip she had some sort of weapon that looked like a circular metal boomerang. Strapped to her back was an extremely realistic looking sword. Carmen wore leather cuffs on her upper arms and wrists; leather with the same gold swirls. Knee-high leather boots traveled up her petite legs. She approached Garrett slowly and stood over him with her hand hovering near her metal boomerang thing.

"Who is she _dressed_ as?" I stuttered. Emmett removed his huge, blue eyes from the screen long enough to peer at me and whisper four words in a deadly, serious tone.

"Xena...the warrior princess," he mumbled in awe before turning back to the monitor.

Jasper's body began to shake beside me and I stared at him as a bemused grin crossed his face. Even through the anger and fuckery of it all, I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped my lips when Jasper started outright snorting in laughter. He's shoulders shook and he damn near fell off the metal chair. But his laughter died down at Emmett's next statement.

"Jasper...I'm scared," Emmett whispered and tears filled his big eyes. "I need to find my happy place. Hold me, Jasper. Hold me." The the big buffoon flung his arms around his cousin as he turned his head away from the monitor. Jasper snorted and met my confused face with an amused frown.

"Roleplay freaks Emmett out," he said with a shrug as he patted Emmett awkwardly on the back. "Roleplay and midget clowns."

"It's just not normal, man...it's just not normal," he whispered into Jasper's neck. Jasper tried, and failed, to shove Emmett away from his body. It was the pounding on the office door that finally caused Emmett to release Jasper from his iron clutch.

"Open the door, asshole," Tia's smart ass mouth yelled from behind the door, her voice slightly muffled. "I saw y'all go in there! Open this door before I break it down!" Heaving a sigh, I stood up, crossed the room and opened the door.

There stood Tia in a black, glittery, one shoulder top and black pants. Tia was a pretty petite girl with mocha colored eyes and smooth, dark skin, but her attitude towards me always put me off a bit. Secretly, I thought a lot of the girl. She didn't give a crap that I was her boss and owner of the business she worked in. Her honest, vocal opinions were typically harsh, but I carried a great respect for them. I liked the fact that she didn't give a rat's ass who I was. Tia was a cynic, but she was also open and honest to a fault. I carried a great admiration for her.

"Hello, Tia," I said in a friendly voice as I blocked the doorway. There was no need for her to see her friend on the video monitor seducing a man while wearing a Xena costume. She'd probably have the desire to bleach her eyeballs out as much as I did.

"Move over you prick," she muttered and shoved me away with shocking strength. The girl was small but she could really pack a punch.

Tia stomped over to where Jasper and Emmett sat and I trailed behind her. Her eyes landed on the video feed just in time to watch Carmen give Garrett a lap dance.

"Okay, this is some bullshit right here," she hollered as she pointed to the screen. "My ass is out there sweating like a whore in church and this Yankee bitch is upstairs giving G a lap dance. What the fuck is she wearing? Is that a Xena costume? Oh, she's taken her Xena obsession on a whole new level. She's been wearing a Xena shirt for a week straight to work. How is that not a violation of the dress code? Your crackhead sister makes me wear hooker clothes but Carmen can wear a Xena shirt every day. I'm calling racism on this one."

"Who's racist?" a voice spoke up from the doorway. We turned and watched as Alice strolled in. She walked over to where Jasper sat and gave him a sweet kiss before softly ruffling his curls. As her eyes fell on the video monitor, she froze.

"Is that Carmen?" she gasped. Alice pressed a hand to her cheek and turned slightly pale.

"Yeah, while you got me working like a Hebrew slave that bitch is upstairs getting her freak on. Damn pillheaded bitch. Why am I friends with white people? Someone please explain this to me? My people don't dress like freaking warriors and give lap dances to random dudes we just met. That must be a white thing. Or a Yankee thing."

"I'm cold Tia," Emmett whispered dramatically. His face was slightly sweaty and he looked as though he were about to pass out. "Can you distract me? Do that little dance you do sometimes."

"Bitch, I'm not here for your entertainment," Tia scowled as she crossed her arms over chest.

Emmett stared up at her miserably, his face heartbroken. Tia let out a colossal sigh and then did some kind of awkward looking shuffle with a huge, fake grin on her face, swinging her arms from side to side. When she finished her dance the smile fell from her face and she went back to glaring at Emmett. Emmett stared up from where he sat with a happy grin. Even Tia couldn't resist the Emmett puppy dog face.

"My ancestors are rolling over in their graves right now," she muttered as she rolled her eyes. "The things I do for you pale faces."

"Okay, back to the situation at hand," I interrupted. I pointed at the screen and asked Emmett one pivotal question. "When the hell did this happen? We need to know how long Garrett's been gone from the loft. Maybe he left some kind of evidence behind that we can use to track him down. If not, we need to find Carmen and question her." Emmett nodded and began searching for a date on the video feed.

"I think that bastard has her on some new pills or something," Tia muttered as we all watched Emmett go through the video feed. "That girl is crazy, but she's really gone off the deep end now. Last week she brought a blonde wig to work, shoved it on my head and called me Gabrielle."

"You're not gonna believe this, boss," Emmett muttered as he turned from the video feed to stare up at me with wide eyes. "This is in real-time."

We all froze and our eyes drifted involuntarily to the ceiling. That bastard and Carmen were upstairs at that very moment defiling my sanctuary! My hand drifted to the gun that shoved in the back waistband of my suit pants. I removed it and cocked it. My eyes met Jasper's and he gave me a hesitant nod.

"Wait a minute, white boy," Tia interrupted as she grabbed the gun from my hands. I stared at her in shock, but her eyes showed nothing by sympathy.

"Carmen finally found someone as crazy as her," Tia explained in a surprisingly calm voice. "The only other guy she's dated was that snitch you had working for you, and you see how that turned out. Think about this before you go upstairs. Carmen's Bella's best friend. We were her best friends before any of you bitches came into the scene, aside from Jasper and Emmett. If you kill Garrett, what's Bella gonna do? She's gonna be pissed, that's what. I know y'all are mad at that boy, but is killing him the answer? Bella's gonna flip her lid. Is that the best thing to do while she's pregnant? I'm telling you, she'll probably pack her shit and head back to Mississippi if you do what I think you're about to do."

Jasper and I exchanged glances and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he agreed with Tia. My hand twitched as I wanted nothing more than to grab that gun, run upstairs and shoot that insolent asshole in the face, but Tia was right. When Bella found out what I'd done she'd freak out and do God knows what. As much as I loved her, she wasn't the most stable person I'd ever met. And that's saying a lot considering that I, myself, was nothing but a cold-hearted, murdering bastard.

"The things we do for the ones we love," I muttered with a sigh as I held my hand out for my gun. Tia doubtfully handed me the gun and I unloaded it, then handed her the bullets. She shoved them in her pocket and gave me the closest thing to smile that I'd ever seen on her face.

"I'm still gonna kick his ass," I told her. I held my head up and glowered down at her as I waited for an argument. There was none. She nodded, shrugged and muttered that she didn't really blame me for that.

"I can't go up there," Emmett muttered with a shudder. "It's just too weird, man. I think I'll pass out."

"Man up, asshole," Tia snarled as she hit him in the back of the head with her open palm. "Grow you a pair!" Emmett sulked and rubbed the back of his head in pain as he stood up from the chair. The lot of us headed to the door as Jasper instructed Alice and Tia to stay downstairs.

"No, but _hell _no," Alice scowled. Tia nodded at her in agreement and us three guys sighed while the girls lagged behind. They followed us up the stairway and I removed the loft keys from my pocket, thumbing through them until I found the right ones. There wasn't just the lock, but the deadbolt as well. We'd need to be extra quiet entering the loft to have the advantage over the very strange couple inside. My fingers paused as the first key touched the lock.

"What is that noise coming from inside?" I whispered, staring at my friends. Jasper, Emmett and I immediately pressed our ears against the door as we listened to the muffled sounds from within. Alice and Tia, being very petite, hovered below us, mimicking us as they pressed their ears to the door as well.

"Luda," Alice whispered, her eyes fixed on Tia, who nodded her head in confirmation.

"Who the fuck is _Luda_?" I asked in confusion.

"You know. Ludacris. Luda, Luda, smoking that stanky buddha..." Tia said, her voice trailing off at the end as Alice nodded with wide eyes.

"Face down, ass up," Alice confirmed, her face a mask of seriousness.

"I have no idea what y'all are talking about," I muttered as we all straightened up. I slid the first key into the lock and quietly unlocked the door. Next, I unlocked the deadbolt and we all exchanged nervous glances.

"Please, Lord, don't let her be naked," Tia prayed aloud.

"Please, Lord, _let her be naked_," Emmett said as he finally cracked a joke. Alice snorted quietly and Jasper removed his baretta from the waistband of his jeans.

"Hey, I thought you said you weren't gonna shoot him," Tia quietly scolded, her eyes wide in alarm.

"No," Jasper corrected with a sly grin. "_Edward_ said he wouldn't shoot him. I said no such thing, darlin'."

Tia stared at him in concern for a moment and then muttered, "If you weren't so damn sexy I'd be pissed right now. But go on with your bad self you hot son of a bitch." Jasper's sly grin grew bigger and I saw my sister scowl and glare at the now drooling Tia.

"Relax, sweetheart," Jasper told Tia in a calm voice. "I'm just preparing myself for the inevitable."

Tia opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud, female voice yelling "AYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!" from within.

"That's the Xena war cry," Emmett said quietly, his eyes as big as saucers and his face a mask of terror.

And then, without another word said among the five of us, Jasper lifted his right leg and kicked open the unlocked door with his heavy boot. He swung himself into the room, his cobalt blue revolver trained in front of him. The smile on his face was disturbing, even to me. I came in quickly behind him, my own gun drawn, although now unloaded. The others huddled tightly behind us.

There sat Garrett near the windows facing Beale. Carmen's back was facing him but her ass was sitting in his lap. Their heads shot up as we entered the room, the expressions on their face slightly humorous. I couldn't help the evil grin that slipped onto my face as Garrett's eyes met mine, once more. His open mouth finally shut and turned into a fine, drawn line. We watched as his hand reached down for something and I knew immediately what he was attempting to grab.

And it wasn't Carmen's ass.

"Don't even think about it," I hollered over the heavy hip hop music. His hand froze and he suddenly looked somewhat nervous. Carmen hopped off his lap with a yelp as she tried desperately to yank up the tight dress over her slightly exposed breasts. Jasper strolled over to the music dock and turned the horrible music off. The room shifted into a heavy silence.

The anxiety slipped from Garrett's face. He laughed and placed his hands behind his head while he cocked his head to the side and stared at me with a bemused expression on his face.

"You're not gonna kill me, Edward," he purred in a confident tone as his eyes twinkled. "Bella's got you so pussy-whipped you'd be a fool to do something so thoughtless."

"Don't test me," I hissed and cocked the unloaded gun. The sure smile left his face for a moment, but quickly returned.

"You need me," he explained in a more serious tone as his face turned towards Jasper. His eyes caught Jasper's and some sort of silent communication flowed between the two of them. I glanced at Jasper and saw his left eye twitch on his calm face.

"I'll take the bait. Why do we need you?" Jasper asked while tilting his head to the side. Emmett huddled behind him, trying with all his might not to stare at Carmen who desperately continued to hide her cleavage as she stood near where Garrett so calmly sat.

"I'm in town on business. I've got a target I need to take down and it's an old enemy of ours. Believe me when I say the world will be a much better place for the both of us, Jasper, when they're out of the picture. I'm sincerely apologetic about the intrusion on your home, Edward, but I knew this was the last place anyone would expect to find me. Rumors fly quickly among my kind and everyone's heard about you and Jasper beating the shit out of me a few months ago. Needless to say, I don't expect anyone to find me hanging out in your loft while I'm in town."

"Like I give a shit about your feeble excuses," I spat. "I'm here because Bella finally told me about you kissing her back in December. And then you suddenly show up in_ my_ town, in _my_ home. Is that why you're in town, Garrett? Are you here for Bella? Don't you understand that she doesn't want you? Bella's mine, Garrett, not yours. _Mine_!"

"You kissed Bella?!" Carmen screamed, her face beet red. She leaned over and slapped him firmly across the face, but he never flinched as he stared up at her helplessly. "You bastard! You told me you cared about me!"

"That was back in December, baby! I do care about you!"

Carmen huffed and stomped over to where we stood. Tears filled her eyes as she met the angry gaze of Tia, who smacked her in the back of the head like she'd smacked Emmett.

"You called in sick, you twit! And I find out you're up here doing crazy white people shit with G? You've got some explaining to do!" Tia snarked as she turned and left the loft with one last angry huff.

Carmen hung her head, removed the black wig and metal boomerang thing from her hip. She tossed them on the table and took one last look at us and then Garrett. Carmen gave Alice a soft apology for missing work and left the loft as well. Alice sighed, walked over to the kitchen table where she slumped into an empty chair and rubbed her temples in frustration.

"Thanks for ruining the one good thing I've got going my life!" Garrett snapped. He leaned forward in the chair and ran his fingers through his dark, shaggy hair. I crossed the room and he sat up, his eyes wide in suspicion. In one, fluid motion I slammed the side of my gun against his face and watched in satisfaction as he head snapped sideways. There was a long, red streak that ran across his jaw and he clutched his face painfully as he glared up at me.

"That was for kissing my fiancé," I muttered. I shoved the gun in the waistband of my pants, clenched my left fist and slugged him in the nose. His head snapped backwards this time and a trickle of blood drifted from his right nostril. Garrett yelped and covered his nose with his hands as he stared at me with his dark eyes.

"And that's for sleeping in my bed, eating Bella's fried apple pies and performing kinky sex acts in my loft," I grumbled, suddenly feeling very tired. My left shoulder stung from the old bullet injury that had long since healed. Every once in a while my shoulder still hurt, especially when I took a swing at something or someone. I was getting too old for this shit.

"I'm not here for Bella, Edward," Garrett mumbled from behind his hands, his voice sounding nasally. "I'm here for my target and then I'm gone. I swear it. If you want me to leave the loft, fine."

"Who's your target, G? And how is it helping _me_ out by offing them?" Jasper asked, suddenly curious. He walked over to where I stood and joined me as I hovered over Garrett.

"You know I can't tell you that, Jazz. But I can tell you it's a mutual enemy of ours, someone who no one will miss, I can guarantee that," Garrett muttered.

He removed his hands from his nose and wiped the blood away with the sleeve of his shirt, leaving a bright red trail against the fabric. Jasper stared at his friend for a lengthy amount of time before meeting my eyes. I knew from the expression on his face that he believed his friend. I still wasn't so sure.

"Get out of the loft. Do not approach Bella again. If you want to continue your little fling with Carmen, fine. That is, if she'll still have you. Do your business and get out of town, Garrett. Things have finally calmed down around here and we don't need you coming back in the picture starting trouble," Jasper told him.

I stared at Jasper in shock and exasperation, pissed off that he thought Garrett should get off so easy. I took a step in Garrett's direction, bound and determined not to let him get away as easily as Jasper planned, but Jasper held me back with one arm and gave me a deathly stare. There was something in his cold, blue eyes that told me to trust him, and against my better judgment I held back, but not before giving Garrett one last word of advice.

"If I see you again, I'll kill you. Don't question it. I don't give a damn what you, Jasper or Bella says. You'll die. Is that understood?" I asked him in a menacing voice.

My fingers twitched yet again, desperate to grab Jasper's gun and put a bullet in Garrett's head. Garrett nodded in seriousness and jumped up from the chair. He shuffled past us and avoided Emmett's disgusted glare. Garrett left the loft and the four of us visibly relaxed.

"I can't believe we let him go so easily," I muttered and shot Jasper a distrustful glare. Jasper smiled at me a shrugged.

"Edward, Garrett and I have many enemies from the past. If he wants to off one of them, that's fine by me. It's just one less thing I gotta worry about in my life. Don't worry about seeing Garrett again," he said in a confident tone. "He's a business man first. Let him finish his business and he'll be gone."

I nodded, tired and ready to go home to snuggle up next to Bella. I instructed Emmett to get on the ball with finding someone to replace Able and he quietly agreed. Emmett and I walked to the door and turned just in time to see Jasper pick up the wig and metal boomerang and stare at them thoughtfully. He grinned at Alice and helped her from the chair, escorting her to the loft door with the wig and metal boomerang still in his hands.

"Why are you taking that with you?" she asked with a curious grin. Her bright green eyes twinkled mischievously.

"I'm keeping these for the honeymoon," he whispered as he pressed a kiss against her temple. Emmett and I glanced at one another and visibly shuddered at the mental picture that popped into our heads. Alice giggled and the four of us left the loft, ready to end one wild, bizarre, yet somewhat typical, Memphis night.

**Okay, so RL Carmen has JOKINGLY threatened to sue me for slander (I hope she's joking). Now, she may not realize I don't have crap for her to sue me for. It'll be a long time before I get my inheritance and if she wants to pay land taxes on 150+ acres of land, that's her business.**

**What she may not realize is that the adjoining 150+ acres of land will belong to my cousin, who is also my RL Jasper. Now, Carmen, I know you fell for the old Jasper charm when you met him. I saw you bat your eyes and giggle like a schoolgirl. He's handsome, quiet and cool. But I once watched this boy smile a charming smile, take a deep drag of his cigarette and threaten to beat a boy to death with a pine knot simply because the guy had shoulder-length hair. Apparently he looked like a 'hippie' and that's completely unacceptable in RL Jasper's book. I didn't think we'd ever hold him back long enough for that boy to run. Needless to say, that boy never showed up at another one of our bonfires. If you want to live next to Jasper, I say go for it LOL. You've seen him drunk. He's dangerous with the two G's; guitars and guns :)**

**Tia threatened to sue me like ten chapters ago. She'll probably use my family money to invest in stock on Amazon or use it to buy every Naruto movie known to man.**

**Reviews make me smile! Especially the ones from those of you who want my recipes :) I'll be happy to share them if you send me a PM with your email address requesting the one you want. My Mamaw's fried apple pies are the bomb :)**


	34. Chapter 34: New Beginnings

**Chapter Thirty-Four: New Beginnings**

"What do you think about the name 'Jasmine'?" I asked Edward, who lay beside me in our bed, watching as I flipped absently through the pages of the thick baby name book he purchased for us months ago.

The pages were well worn and his elegant scroll could be found in the margins of several dog-earred pages. I turned to glance at him through my lashes and met his thoughtful stare. He was close to me in proximity, somewhat clingy ever since my revelation of the kiss and Garrett's return to Memphis a few months ago. I hadn't seen nor heard from Garrett since that night in Edward's loft. Edward and Jasper never mentioned his name again, not even once. Edward eventually forgave me for keeping Garrett's kiss a secret, but it took some time. I wasn't angry over that fact; I'd brought it upon myself.

"I like it," he finally admitted, giving me a dazzling smile. His green eyes were alight with excitement in the pale glow of the nearby lamp. We'd decided on the name 'Carlie' long ago and he'd also liked Claire's idea for the name 'Harper' as well.

"How'd you come up with that?" he asked, staring at me curiously.

"Well, I've been trying to find a couple of names that remind me of Jasper and Emmett. The 'Jas' in 'Jasmine' reminds me of Jasper, so now we just need to find a name that reminds us of Emmett."

He nodded thoughtfully, well aware of our mutual agreement to name the twins after the two men who'd spent the majority of their lives watching and protecting me. I no longer needed their protection. James was dead and I no longer felt the desire to hide and breakaway. The burden of my brother and cousin dutifully protecting me no longer existed as well. My life finally felt somewhat complete. All I desired now was the feeling of my babies in my arms.

Jasper left Memphis right after I told him about Garrett. He returned to Jackson to work out his transfer at the FBI and would return to his new home in Memphis around the same time I was scheduled for my cesarean. When he left Memphis I was beyond sad, although not nearly as sad as poor little Alice. We constantly reminded one another that he'd be back for good soon, and he did make occasional visits to Memphis, when he wasn't preoccupied with his job at the FBI. It took everything in me not to feel a little bitter that when he did visit he spent the majority of his time with Alice, but I reminded myself that she was his family now. And that made me happy and eased the slight burn caused by the knowledge that I was no longer the main fixture in his life, and never would be again.

"Maybe we should ask Claire for another baby name suggestion," Edward said with a grin, pulling me from my reverie. "She's very good with baby names. I absolutely love the name 'Harper'." I hummed in agreement.

Claire became a permeant fixture in the Cullen-Swan household. Rose and Claire's therapist agreed that she should withhold her from regular schooling until after the summer. Spring came and went and summer was then upon us. When Rose returned to work I offered to babysit Claire during the day. Rose was somewhat hesitant at first, given my state of pregnancy, but she eventually caved in and I think she was secretly relived that I was watching after her daughter. Claire and I formed a strong bond over the last few months and although she continued to remain silent, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she found the courage to speak up.

Edward removed the baby name book from my fingers, which became nimble during my internal ramblings. He shuffled through the section of the book that held girl names beginning with the letter 'E'. Suddenly he paused, an excited grin spreading across his handsome face.

"Ember," he said, his voice tinged with excitement. "Carlie Ember Cullen."

"_Ember_?" I asked, wrinkling my nose with slight distaste. "What kind of name is _Ember_?"

"A spark of fire burning low," he whispered, reading the meaning of the name aloud from the book. The meaning caused me to instantaneously love the name and I said the name aloud softly over and over, quickly warming up to it.

"I love it," I admitted, turning on my side, facing Edward. "One more name...to go with Jasmine!" He smiled and reached out, tenderly stroking my face. I shut my eyes, relishing the feeling of his gentle touch and the squirming of our children deep inside me. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

Rose arrived with Claire the next morning shortly after Edward left for work. Rose no longer looked haggard but continued to carry permanent worry lines on her forehead. I felt for her. She wanted to hear her daughter's voice so desperately. We all did. I made a decision that day. It was my personal mission to help Claire break the chains of fear which held her back from speaking to those who loved her.

"Claire Bear, you look so cute!" I cooed, grinning at her beaming face.

She wore her hair in pigtails and had on a camo shirt, overalls and dirty sneakers. Rose abandoned the desire to dress her in frilly clothes after a gentle word of advice from me. We also redecorated her room in a way that was more suiting of her daughter. When she realized Claire secretly despised the way Rose decorated her bedroom and dressed her, Rose immediately bought her a new wardrobe and let her pick out her own bedding and other decorations for her room. She even had Emmett to repaint the light pink walls to a more fitting pale yellow.

Claire grabbed my hand, anxiously pulling me away from the foyer. The lines on Rose's wrinkled forehead smoothed out as she smiled at her daughter's happiness.

"Y'all have fun and try to stay out of trouble!" Rose called out with a laugh as Claire pulled me towards the living room. I had no time to respond before Rose gently shut the door behind her.

"Let me guess...you'd like for me to read to you again today?" I asked with a knowing grin. We'd spent the last few days emerged in one of my new vampire books. Claire would sigh contently as the book progressed, the two of us lost in the world of two star-crossed lovers. Claire was a little like me; in love with the idea of falling in love.

Claire nodded, shooting me a sparkling grin. Chuckling, I fell beside her on the couch and removed the book from the coffee table, thumbing through until I found the old bookmark. We spent the rest of the early morning lost in the book. The only sounds in the room were my murmured words, the ticking of the grandfather clock, and Claire's gentle, heartfelt sighs.

Around lunchtime I suggested that Claire help me cook, which she readily agreed to. She was like my little assistant chef, always happy to stand by my side and hand me the necessary ingredients for whatever I was craving. My pregnancy had me craving the strangest things, at least according to Edward. To me the food I craved was some of my childhood favorites. I shared my food obsession with Claire who helped me prepare a lunch of fried bologna sandwiches and pickleos. The house stank of bologna, mayonaise, butter, melted cheese and fried pickles. Sam literally ran from the house with his fingers pinched over his nostrils. Claire and I shrugged to one another over his abrupt departure We took turns dipping our pickleos in a bowl full of ranch dressing.

"Let's clean up and hide any evidence of the fried food, okay?" I asked my tiny accomplice in an unnecessary hushed whisper.

She nodded solemnly, her freckled face a mask of seriousness as she hopped off the bar stool and hid the jar of mayo in the back of the fridge. Who eats fried bologna and cheese sammies without mayo slathered inside? Not me!

After putting away the condiments, washing our dishes and hiding the smell of fried food beneath a half of a bottle of Febreeze, we wandered back into the living room trying to figure out how to spend the rest of our day.

"How about a game of monopoly?" I suggested, laughing at Claire's disgusted frown. Claire hated the seemingly never-ending board game.

"Wanna play poker again?" I asked quietly, glancing around in case Sam or Ben re-entered the house without our knowledge. I'd taught Claire how to play poker and we snuck stashes of Edward's money from his safe and gambled on the down-low.

Claire rolled her eyes, reached in her overall pocket and removed a fat wad of cash. She waved it around and yawned in fake boredom, a tiny smirk on her face. I scowled at my little sidekick because a kid shouldn't _ever_ beat an adult at poker on a regular basis.

"I've created a monster," I muttered, rewarded with a grin from my friend.

The sound of a door opening and shuffling feet caused the two of us to turn around from where we sat on the couch. Sam and Ben entered the room speaking quietly to one another, their heads tilted towards each other. When they noticed Claire and I watching them, they straightened up and gave us a smile. I was immediately suspicious of the innocent looks on their faces.

"Bells, Edward called and needs out help down at the office," Sam explained, his brown eyes soft and honest. "He thought you'd be alright here by yourself as long as the gate was locked and y'all stay on the property."

My eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in question at the two men. Edward had never left me, unguarded, for any length of time since moving into his house. Claire stared at the two men dubiously as well before her eyes met mine with a sideways glance.

"Is Edward okay? Did something happen to him?" I asked, cold fear suddenly creeping over me.

"No, no! It's nothing like that!" Sam assured me, throwing his hands up, palm-forward in defense. "Actually, it's Bree that's the problem."

"Bree? The girl Em was dating?"

"Yeah," Ben piped up, running his fingers over his short, dark curls nervously. "She's at his office causing a scene, threatening to sue errr...you-know-who for attacking her."

My mind wandered back to the night Rose returned to Memphis from Oklahoma and found Bree sitting next to Emmett at the dining room table. Rose went gangsta that night and turned the chair over with Bree still in it. I studiously avoided Claire's questioning glances beside me. I couldn't believe that little tart was threatening to sue Rose! And to think I actually liked her at first!

"Oh, uh, okay. That's fine. Claire and I will be fine alone. I honestly don't understand why Edward continues to think he has to keep me under lock and key," I said with a shrug, wondering how Edward would handle the situation with Bree.

"Just stay inside the property," Sam commanded, looking slightly nervous. "I promised Edward that you'd stay inside the property." I nodded in response and the two men left the room. I heard the security system beep, alerting me that Sam or Ben activated it upon their departure. Claire and I exchanged glances for a long moment, a matching twinkle of mischief in both of our eyes.

"I have an idea," I whispered with a smile. She grinned in response and I stood, stretching my sore muscles slightly. Anytime I sat for too long my body felt slightly stove-up.

"Stay here and I'll be right back," I commanded. She nodded, her face completely serious, and I waddled from the living room.

Making my way into my bedroom, I dug around a large cardboard box that had been stashed in the closet for months. It was the box my father gave me when I saw him in Mississippi, the same father who promised to visit me within a few weeks, but never showed up. I tried not to let it show that he'd hurt me once again, but Edward was getting better at reading me. He'd mentioned me calling my father a couple of times, but I never did. It takes two to make a relationship work. I'd swallowed my pride and reached out to him first, leaving the ball in his court. The fight for a relationship with those you love shouldn't be one-sided, and I refused to beg the man to be the father that he should have been from the very beginning. I felt stupid for forgiving him so easily, but that was simply the type of person I was. I'd never held a grudge against anyone for too long, because I knew how easy it was to make mistakes in life. My life was full of stupid mistakes that I'd made.

When my fingers brushed against the cool metal barrel of my bb gun, I grasped it and held it up proudly. It wasn't one of those cutesy little pink bb guns that most people get their little girls. I'm not sure if they even made those pink guns back when I was little. No, this was a black bb gun with a brown, wooden stock. The butt of the gun was faded and worn from the many times it'd been held against the crook of my right shoulder, near my armpit. I wasn't sure when the last time the gun had been cleaned. A dirty gun causes inaccuracy when firing at your target. But after opening the breech and checking the inside of the barrel thoroughly, I was surprised to find that someone had kept it well-cleaned. My father was the only one with access to the gun.

Tears formed in my eyes at the thought of the gaunt-looking man I'd left behind in Mississippi. Why would he take the time to clean my childhood toy throughout the years but refuse to have a real relationship with me? It didn't make any sense. I couldn't figure him out. Maybe I never would. Brushing the tears away, I grabbed the heavy bottle of bb's and a small, metal bb target trap that Edward had bought me a while back. Once he'd seen my bb gun he'd grinned and told me that he was going to buy some bb's for the blasted thing. I didn't know what he was thinking at the time when he bought me the bb's and the little metal target trap, but I was thankful that he did.

I found Claire right where I left her, sitting on the floral couch staring at the bb gun in my hands with wide eyes. She audibly gulped and I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips. Nodding towards the back door I started across the marble floor, the sound of small, scuffed sneakers following closely behind. After de-activating the security system, I walked across the large patio and down the steps, Claire close by my side. Her eyes lingered on the gun and I watched from the corner of my eye as she stared at it in wonder. She was intrigued. I couldn't blame her. We strolled over to a grassy area facing some large trees in the back yard. I removed a chair from where it sat near the swimming pool and placed in in the grassy area, propping the target trap on top of it. I removed the paper targets from the box the trap came in and placed them in the trap. Joining Claire where she stood several feet away still as a statue, I bent down, the weight of my distended abdomen causing me to grunt uncomfortably.

"This is a bb gun, Claire," I told her softly, staring into her big, blue eyes. "I'm going to show you how to hold it, how to aim it, and how to shoot it safely, okay?"

She nodded quickly, her eyes gleaming in anticipation. I took my time demonstrating how to load the gun with the small pellets, how to stare down the barrel, the sight, and place a bead on her target. Claire held the gun firmly in her hands, the barrel of the gun pressed gently to the side of her right cheek. Her fingers where shaky, so I softly suggested that she take some deep breaths to calm her nerves. Claire nodded and did as she was told, taking a deep, ragged breath. Her nervousness was palpable. It flowed from her tiny body as she shook. I reminded her to gently squeeze the trigger, not to pull it firmly. After she stood there for what seemed like an eternity, she pulled the trigger. A soft popping sound escaped from the gun and she let out an involuntary yelp. I laughed and her cheeks quickly turned red as she ducked her head in embarrassment.

"It's okay, Claire Bear," I assured her, patting her on the top of her head. "It took me forever to get used to the sound of a real gun firing. Once you get used to it, the sound will thrill you instead of scare you."

The little girl stared up at me with her rounded eyes, seemingly unaware that I'd ever fired a real gun. I gave her a grin and directed her to continue to practice. She missed time and time again, but there was a fierce determination in her eyes that told me all I needed to know. Claire wouldn't stop until she hit that target. I wandered over to a chair that sat nearby and quietly watched her as she fired over and over. The Tennessee sun hung overhead, causing my skin to break out in a light sweat and my clothes to stick uncomfortably to my body. I tilted my head back, basking in the sun, happy that summertime was upon us. The sound of the birds chirping and the bb gun firing constantly nearly lulled me to sleep. There was an eventual pause and my eyelids fluttered open. Claire stood nearby holding the gun in the air with an expectant look on her face.

"I showed you how to load it. So load it," I told her with a shrug.

She looked a tad bit scared, but I wasn't worried. She was an observant little girl and meticulous with everything she did, almost to the point of OCD. Claire walked over to the bottle of pellets and carefully loaded the bb gun exactly how she was shown. After a big grin she wandered back over to where she'd previously been standing, the bright green grass matted down in the shape of her slightly parted legs. Claire was a natural. It'd just take her some time to actually hit the target, but once she did she'd be relentless.

I closed my eyes again for a long moment until I heard the ping of a bb hitting metal. My eyes popped open and I watched with an amused smile as Claire started motionless for a long moment at the bb trap. She slowly turned towards me with a huge smirk on her face and I cheered, clapping my hands and hooting her name. Standing, I walked over to the trap with her by my side and we examined the target.

"Claire, I want you to hit this target dead center, do you understand me?" I asked, pointing at the red circle in the middle of the target. There was a tiny hole where she'd hit the target far left. "Do not stop until you hit this red circle, okay?" My voice was firm and I stared down at her in a no-nonsense sort of way. She nodded solemnly, looking slightly afraid of what I supposed was a total mom-face I was giving her. I returned to the chair and watched as she shot the bb gun over and over, her face pinched sternly as she stared down the barrel of the gun.

As Claire continued to shoot I noticed that the birds stopped chirping and the sounds of the squirrels chattering died away. Animals become quiet when dangers is near and somehow I could sense their anxiety in the warm summer air. Goosebumps erupted along my flesh and I hesitantly stood, glancing around the yard and the tall stone walls that encased us on the property. Nothing was amiss. The branches on the trees swayed gently in the stiff, humid breeze. The smell of someone barbecuing nearby wafted over the tall walls. Shaking the strange feeling I sat back down, concentrating on the little girl I'd come to know as my adoptive niece. She would be my niece one day. Emmett already had Rose's engagement ring picked out and he'd continued to work at the club, even picking up a second job at a local gym to earn enough money to purchase the ostentatious thing. I'd told him that Rose wouldn't care if he bought her a simple ring or even a gold band, but he claimed his woman had expensive tastes and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy. He didn't even realize he already had.

Claire began to get frustrated. She would hit the target, but never the bull's eye. I could hear her huffing and groaning in disappointment. Standing on two wobbly legs under the weight of my squirming twins, I waddled over to where she stood. Claire dropped the gun slightly, staring up at me with her watery eyes.

"Claire, can I give you a word of advice?" I asked in a soft voice, stooping down to meet her face-to-face on her level. She nodded slowly, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand.

"When you aim at your target, put everything in that gun," I told her. Her face twisted in confusion as I gave her sympathetic smile. "Bad things happened to you in the past, didn't they, baby? Is that why you can't talk?" Claire hung her head and slowly nodded. I reached out and tilted her chin up.

"Don't you ever hang your head in shame, do you hear me? I want you to put it in that gun. Whatever happened to you in the past, put it in that gun. If you feel angry, sad, resentful, put it in that gun. Use it to your advantage. Put it in the gun, Claire Bear, and you'll hit your target every time, okay?" Claire continued to look slightly sad and confused, but she nodded in agreement.

Instead of returning to the chair I sat down on the grass near Claire's side. She stared down the barrel of the gun, her legs parted, her left eye shut and her right eye narrowed. There was an angry, yet somewhat thoughtful look on her face as she stood there for several minutes, unmoving. Suddenly, she squeezed the trigger and the bb left the gun, slamming directly into the bull's eye of the target. Claire slowly lowered the gun from beside her cheek, her mouth open and her eyes wide in disbelief. She turned to glance at me and I raised one eyebrow.

"I knew you could do it," I said with an unexcited shrug, opposite of the emotion I was really feeling deep within. A slow, knowing smile crossed her face and she raised the gun, firing again. She continued to hit the bull's eye over and over, tattering the paper with the metal pellets.

I changed the paper targets out several times. Claire was a natural, just as I'd expected. The sun began to lower in the sky and my stomach reminded me that it'd soon be supper time. Another idea popped into my head and I blurted out the name of something I hadn't eaten in a long time, not since Jasper and I were little kids.

"Squirrel dumplings!" I blurted, causing my tiny statue of a friend to jump and let out a little squeak. She frowned at me in confusion and I laughed. "Let's kill us some squirrels! I've got a hankering for squirrel dumplings!" The horrified look on Claire's face caused me to burst into hysterical laughter. Apparently she'd never experienced the awesomeness that was squirrel dumplings.

"I'll teach you how to shoot squirrels another day," I told her, taking the bb gun from her hands. "But we don't have much time before Edward comes home. Maybe we should keep your shooting practice our little secret, okay? I didn't ask your mom and she'd probably freak out if she knew I let you shoot a gun, even if it is just my crappy old bb gun."

Claire glared at the description that I gave of my gun, but she nodded thoughtfully, following me to where I stood near some trees. Bringing the gun up to the side of my face I aimed at a squirrel perched on the branch of a fat oak tree. I laid him down easily, the bullet hitting him directly in the head. He fell to the ground with a soft thud, but I didn't pay him no mind. I continued to shoot squirrel after squirrel in succession until I was satisfied that I had enough to make a huge pot of squirrel dumplings. Claire followed me with look of pure horror on her face as I grabbed each one by their bushy little tails, grunting when I had to stoop over to pick them up.

"I don't kill things for fun, Claire," I told her as we made our way to the garage. I could hear Emmett's loud truck pulling up in the driveway. "When you kill something it's for a purpose. The purpose of killing these animals is to feed my family supper. It's not a game. Always remember that, okay baby?" She nodded solemnly, trying to hide the disgust from her tiny features. We met Emmett in the driveway and he whooped and hollered when he saw what I held in my hands.

"Squirrel dumplings?" he asked, his eyes shining in excitement. He was still wearing the tight, black shirt required of the employees of the gym where he worked during the day. "I haven't had your squirrel dumplings in a coon's age." His dimpled face was beaming.

"You can have some, if you clean them for me," I offered, holding out the dead squirrels for him to grab. "I got a whole mess of them here for ya." He frowned and narrowed his eyes at me, the dimples disappearing momentarily from his face.

"You know when you kill something you gotta clean it," he grunted unhappily, reaching out and taking the squirrels from my hands by their tails.

"I'm a little squeamish about ripping the skin off dead animals now that I'm preggers," I explained with a shrug. Emmett rolled his eyes, muttering to himself and walking away. I shot Claire an evil grin, noticing the slightly green tone on her face. I guess the comment about ripping the skin from the dead squirrels kind of got to her.

"Let's go in and make some dumplings," I suggested. She gave me a wavering smile and followed me inside. We spend the rest of the evening preparing the dumplings, baking buttermilk biscuits and cooking the squirrel meat that Emmett resentfully brought to me several minutes after I'd left him outside.

Edward arrived home just as Rose arrived. I invited Rose to eat supper with us and she readily agreed, the smell of warm dumplings drawing everyone into the dining room. We all ate at the dining room table. Everyone besides me, Claire and Emmett were under the guise that Claire and I had prepared _duck_ dumplings. I wasn't sure if Edward or Rose had ever eaten squirrel before. They were from from the south, but lived in the city their entire lives. I was doubtful Edward Cullen sat around eating squirrels before I came around. The three of us grinned at one another as Rose and Edward helped themselves to seconds. Claire even chuckled under her breath a few times especially at the sound and site of Emmett moaning as he sopped up his dumplings with a fresh, warm, buttermilk biscuit that Claire made herself. She was becoming quite the little cook.

It was during my third serving of dumplings when the strangest thing happened. There was an internal pop that I felt deep within me that caused me to pause in between bites. Warmness flowed out beneath me and I gasped, dropping my fork on the plate and shoving my chair away slightly from the dining room table. Claire, who sat to the right of me, stared at the clear liquid that flowed from beneath me, leaving a wet stain against the fabric of my stretchy maternity pants.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as he took in my pale face.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. My water broke! I still had a couple of weeks before my caesarian was scheduled, but the doctor warned us that twins sometimes came early. My mouth continued to open and shut, open and shut as everyone but Claire stared at me as though I'd lost my mind. Fear overcame me at the thought of giving birth. It was something that I'd simultaneously anticipated and dreaded at the same time. Tears blurred my vision as I turned towards Claire, the only person at the table that seemed to realize what was going on. I'd explained the birthing process to her during one of our lazy summer days, laughing as she gave me a disgusted grimace. The disgusted grimace was gone. As Claire stared up at my scared face, my open, wordless mouth, and the trembling of my hands, a resolute look crossed her face. She boldly stood up, shoving the chair back and glancing at the astonished faces of those who sat at the table, staring back at her.

"Bella's water just broke," she said in a clear, loud voice, staring deep into her mother's eyes. "She needs to go to the hospital, Mama."

Rose nodded, covering her mouth with her hand to break the happy sob that threatened to escape upon hearing her daughter not only talk, but to call her 'Mama' as well. Edward started hollering nervously, jumping up from the table and knocking his chair over in the process. He darted from the room and returned with a large, bulging bag that I'd packed in the event I that I were to ever go into the hospital early. I clutched Claire's hand tightly, finally finding my voice. I kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear how much I loved her and how proud I was of her. She nodded back shyly, but didn't say anything else. Emmett scooped her up, praising her for finally speaking as he planted a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek. She wiped it away, but smiled up at her future father happily.

"We'll follow y'all to the hospital," Rose said, struggling to hide the tears that filled her eyes. "I'll call Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Carmen and Tia. I'm sure Alice will call Jasper."

"Let's go!" Edward yelled, running out of the house with my bag in tow. I was still sitting at the dining room table. Rolling my eyes, I allowed Emmett to help me stand up and escort me to the bedroom. He stood outside while I took my time cleaning up and pulling on a fresh pair of pants. When I joined him in the hallway his face was red from laughter.

"What's so funny?" I asked with a confused smile.

"Edward," he snorted. "He jumped in the car and left you here. He's back now though. How does someone forget to bring their pregnant fiance to the hospital when their water breaks?"

"Take it easy on him," I laughed, imagining Edward peeling out of the driveway, leaving me behind. "He's been on-edge the entire time I've been pregnant."

Emmett chuckled and escorted me outside into the dimming evening light. The crickets were singing loudly in the moonlight. Edward stood near his car, glancing at me sheepishly as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair. I noticed Rose sitting in the passenger side of Emmett's truck, Claire's small freckled face peering anxiously over her shoulder as she watched me waddle over to where Edward stood.

"Forget something?" I cracked, laughing as his face turned a brilliant shade of red, something that so rarely happened. He gently pulled me into his arms as Emmett walked over to his truck chuckling. Edward pressed a kiss to my forehead and I breathed in his warm, spicy scent.

"Are you ready to meet our children, Mr. Cullen?" I asked him quietly, leaning back in his arms and staring up into his pine-green eyes. They were lined with eagerness and worry. Reaching up, I stroked his cheek and he gave me a small smile.

"I'm ready for our family to finally be complete," he answered, pulling me back to his chest and kissing my forehead once again.

We left a few moments later, Edward's large, slightly sweaty hand clasped firmly around my much smaller, shaky one. The car rolled down the dark Tennessee roads as we made our way to the hospital; as we made our way to our future.

**A/N:**** The next chapter is the Epilogue...and then on to my new fic! Remember to follow me as an author if you're not already :)**

**If you asked me for a recipe, make sure you send me your email address please. My email address is available on my author profile. It's easier to send it as an attachment. **

**Did y'all have a good weekend? I spent Friday with my BFF Tiffany in Memphis! For someone who lives there, she sure is nervous. We somehow ended up in the ghetto, much to her displeasure. She clutched her purse and a taser close to her chest. The bitch nearly tased me twice and I had a total Emmett moment. "Don't tas me, man!" LOL. Oh, well. We had fun anyway. I met a couple of very friendly white witches, bought two pairs of pants that give me the appearance of an actual ass, and jammed out to some Memphis beats. All in all, it was a good day :)**

**FYI:**** For those of you who don't know, there's people who go around reporting fics for explicit material for the soul purpose of getting that fic yanked. Because of this I've decided to go back and 'water-down' my lemons. The original written version is available on my new website (link on my author profile). If you want to read it on your smart phone you'll have to download the Dropbox app, which is free and easy to use. I don't want to lose my first story and my awesome reviews that so many of you left, so I've just decided to change it up a bit. I'll try to do that sometime this week *shrug* I don't think y'all read BB for the very few lemons anyway. I'd like to think y'all read it for all the twists, turns and bumps in the road. I love y'all and sorry for the super long AN :)**


	35. Epilogue

_Previously, in Chapter Thirty-Four..._

_"Are you ready to meet our children, Mr. Cullen?" I asked him quietly, leaning back in his arms and staring up into his pine-green eyes. They were lined with eagerness and worry. Reaching up, I stroked his cheek and he gave me a small smile._

_"I'm ready for our family to finally be complete," he answered, pulling me back to his chest and kissing my forehead once again._

_We left a few moments later, Edward's large, slightly sweaty hand clasped firmly around my much smaller, shaky one. The car rolled down the dark Tennessee roads as we made our way to the hospital; as we made our way to our future._

* * *

**Epilogue**

Even through the pain medication-induced fog that I drifted in and out of, I heard the muffled voices of the two best friends a girl could have.

"You're gonna let me in that room right now!" Tia hissed, her voice sounding muffled. Someone groaned to my right and I heard the sound of fabric shifting around.

"M'am, you're gonna have to calm down," a murmured voice scolded. "Now, I've done told you once, no one but family is allowed in that room! If you don't leave I'm gonna call security."

"You mean to tell me you're gonna kick me out of the damn women's hospital just because I want to see my friend?" Tia asked in a shrill voice. "This is public property!" I heard Carmen somewhere nearby muttering below her breath, trying to calm our angry friend down.

"No, I'm not kicking you out because you're here visiting your friend, I'm kicking you out because you're getting loud and disturbing my patients! You can visit Mrs. Cullen when she's transferred to a private room. Right now it's just family."

"Just_ family_? Mrs. _Cullen_? I'll have you know she's not even married to that bastard! Her name is Bella _Swan_, not freaking _Mrs. Cullen_. He's no family to her! If you kick me out you better kick his ass out too!"

"Well, I have in my records that her name is Isabella Cullen. Even if she's not married, Mr. Cullen is the father of her children and that makes him family," the nurse argued.

"Allegedly," Tia grunted, loud enough for me to hear. "He's_ allegedly_ the father."

A heavy sigh and a muttered curse to my right caused me to struggle with opening my eyelids. When I finally pried them open, I turned my head and me the soft, gentle, green eyes of the man seated to the right of my hospital bed.

"Hey, baby," he whispered, reaching out and stroking my cheek. I gave him a small smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. My body was sore from the cesarean I'd had just a couple of hours before.

"Where's the babies?" I asked, pushing myself up in a panic, wincing slightly at the pain.

Somehow the medication made me woozy and I'd fallen asleep. Still, I'd never forget the two, tiny angelic faces of my children as I held them in my arms before they were whisked away to the nursery.

"The doctor said they had to check their blood glucose, give them some eye ointment and some other stuff I know nothing about," he said with a chuckle. "Just routine stuff. My parents are in the waiting area with everyone else...well, everyone except Tia and Carmen, I guess. They've been standing outside that door for thirty minutes trying to get in."

"Why didn't you tell the nurse to let them in?" I asked, my eyebrows drawn up in confusion.

He gave me a shit-eating grin and whispered, "Because it's entertaining as hell listening to Tia get riled up."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped my lips. There was the sound of a scuffle and loud voices outside the door before things finally became silent. Edward snickered as I shook my head in shame over the way he loved messing with Tia. A knock sounded at the door and a red-faced, gray-haired nurse in white scrubs stuck her her through the slightly open door.

"Are we ready to get out of here? I know there's a lot of people anxious to see you," the woman chirped in a fake-friendly voice. She sounded exactly like the voice of the woman arguing with Tia.

"Yes, m'am. I think we're ready to get out of the delivery room and into the private room now," Edward said, his eyes twinkling happily and he gave the lady a sweet smile.

"Okay, great. Just let me holler at the doctor for a minute and take y'all to the private room," she said, shooting Edward an old-lady, sexy grin that made me shudder. The woman was well into her sixties and reminded me of Paula Deen. What was it with old women flirting with Edward? The nurse left the room, pulling the door quietly behind her.

"What is it with you and old women?" I asked, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest. He shrugged in response and grabbed a styrofoam cup of water, practically forcing me to drink it.

"You need to drink to stay hydrated," he told me, the happy sparkle in his eyes gone as he stared at me stubbornly. "The doctor said so." Narrowing my eyes, I took the water from him and drank from the straw, purposely drinking the entire thing.

"I thought you'd stop monitoring my food and fluids once the twins were born," I muttered in disgust, handing him the empty cup. He smirked, taking the cup from my hands and dropping a kiss on my cheek while I glared up at him.

"I'll always take care of you baby," he whispered, grasping my hand in his. His eyes conveyed nothing but care and concern. The stubbornness and anger melted away as I stared deeply in his eyes. His fingers stroked circles around my palm.

We were interrupted by the gray-haired nurse again who pushed my bed through the back corridors of the women's hospital with Edward in tow. We arrived in a large, private room, already packed to the gills with flowers and balloons. Edward requested that the nurse fetch the twins and his parents. The nurse agreed, batting her eyes as she left.

A different nurse brought the twins in the room just moments later. They were swaddled in matching thin blankets, white, pink and light blue in color. They rested quietly in their bassinets, their skin slightly pink and their heads covered with pink, crocheted hats that I suspected Esme made herself. I smiled at the thought.

Esme and Calisle practically burst into the room just minutes later. Esme shooed the nurse off, shooting her a glare when the nurse offered to hand her one of the twins. Esme hovered over one bassinet and then the other, looking beautiful in her cream colored suit and matching pumps. How she looked so pulled together in the middle of the night was beyond me. She finally picked up one of the twins, carefully cradling her in her arms as Edward offered her his seat.

"This is Ms. Jasmine Harper Cullen," Esme said in a soft voice, as she examined the identification bracelet on Harper's tiny ankle.

Esme stared down at her grandchild with a hauntingly fragile expression on her face, and I wondered what was going through her mind. I wondered if her thoughts were with the baby that she lost so many years ago.

"So this must be Ms. Carlie over here," Carlisle said in a smooth voice, taking a step towards the bassinet where Carlie quietly rested. He was dressed in a smart, navy suit, but it was rumpled and his normally perfect blonde hair was somewhat disheveled. I smiled as it reminded me of Edward.

Carlise surprised me by reaching down and taking my daughter confidently in his hands, then cradling her against his left arm. Carlisle sat in one of the floral chairs, his body rocking slightly as he whispered to the tiny baby. A knot formed in my throat. I suddenly missed my father.

Esme noticed the way I stared at her husband and my daughter longingly. She suggested that the men grab some coffee while she helped me nurse the suddenly fretful Carlie. Edward took Carlie carefully from his father and I couldn't stop the smile that lit up my face. I remembered a time when Edward was terrified to hold Eric in my apartment, scared that he'd somehow break him. Edward held our daughter confidently in his arms, leaning down and offering her to me. I took Carlie and gave Edward a small kiss on the corner of his mouth before he and Carlisle shuffled from the room, quietly talking and and proudly beaming at one another.

"Should I call the nurse in to help me?" I asked nervously. It was the first time I'd breast fed one of the twins and, although the lactation nurse had explained the process in depth, she'd also instructed me to call her when the twins were ready to breast feed.

"No, I'll help you sweetie. I breast fed all three of my children," she boasted.

Esme lay the still sleeping Harper back in her basinet and spent the next several minutes showing me how to breast feed Carlie. It was strange and uncomfortable at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. I was slightly embarrassed for Edward's mother to see my bare chest, but she was very professional about it and even showed me how to hold the thin blanket to protect myself from any curious, wandering eyes.

"Are you thinking of your parents, Bella?" Esme asked softly as I stared down in wonder at the tiny baby in my arms.

"Yes," I whispered, remembering the thoughts I'd had as I watched Esme and Carlisle holding my children. How I wished my father were here...and my mother as well.

"Bella, I know Carlisle and I could never take the place of you parents, but you know that we love you as though you were one of own, right?" she asked, reaching out and squeezing my hand. I nodded, but never looked up from Carlie's content face as she continued to suckle.

"I know, Esme. It's just hard knowing that my father could be a part of my life, but chooses not to. My mother made her decision long ago when she took her own life. There's nothing anyone can do about that now. But my father is still alive and claimed just a few months ago that he's a changed man. But where is he? He never came for a visit like he promised. I'm not calling him, that's for sure."

"I'm sorry, honey. Just know that Carlisle and I will always be here for you," she whispered tenderly, stroking my hand. "And Edward will spend the rest of his life caring for you and your children. He loves you _so_ much." I nodded and tried to hide the tears, but it didn't work. She searched the room until she found a box of tissues which she offered me. I cleaned my face with my one free hand and gave her a watery smile.

"Thank you," she whispered, gazing into my eyes in what I could only describe as awe.

"For what?" I questioned, wrinkling my forehead in confusion.

"For giving me two beautiful grandchildren, for saving my daughter in the store that night, for making my son happy for the first time in his life. Thank you, Bella, for everything that you've done," she said, breaking down into quiet sobs.

That in turn caused me to sob and when Edward and Carlisle returned to the room Carlie was resting contently in her bed, her belly full of milk, and Esme and I were clinging to each other for dear life, sniffling on my hospital bed.

"Uh, awkwarrrrdddd," I heard a familiar voice groan. Esme and I parted and I grinned at my big lug of a brother who stood awkwardly behind Edward and Carlisle.

"If y'all don't mind, put your hormones away for a few minutes. There's some folks here who want to see you," he said, finally breaking into a grin. He looked like a moron wearing a blue shirt that read 'World's Greatest Uncle'.

Rose, Alice, Tia, Carmen, Angie and Claire crept up behind them, peering anxiously around the men to the two bassinets. The room suddenly felt packed as everyone cooed and prattled over the two sleeping babies. For some reason Tia and Carmen wore kelly green scrubs, the legs of the scrubs so long on their petite bodies that the cuff was rolled up several times.

"Why are y'all wearing scrubs?" I asked, glancing at them in confusion. The two girls gave each other a sneaky glance. Tia rolled her eyes and Carmen burst into laughter.

"It was plan B," Carmen explained, as Tia huffed beside her. "Tia's idea...which didn't work, obviously. We stole some scrubs and tried to blend in. Security tried to escort us off the premises after old biddy of a nurse found us hiding beside the vending machines. Thankfully, Edward and Mr. Cullen saw them dragging us off and stopped them."

My face felt as though it were about to crack in half from the grin on my face over my two best friends foolishness, that is until I noticed my little Claire Bear standing in the corner of the room. Her face was a mask of sadness as her eyes peered over at the two sleeping babies.

"Hey, do y'all mind giving me and Claire Bear a minute?" I spoke up, momentarily interrupting everyone's babbling.

They all glanced at Claire, who had dropped her head upon hearing my voice. After giving each other knowing glances, everyone quietly shuffled out.

Edward kissed my cheek and told me he loved me, staring deeply into my eyes. He strolled across the room, his eyes lingering on our children for a moment before he shut the door softly behind him.

"Come here, Claire Bear," I told the Claire softly, patting the bed beside me.

She crossed the room hesitantly, shooting the twins a guarded glance. Once she made it to the bed she climbed in beside me, careful with her movements. She rested her head on my shoulder as I slowly stroked her soft, strawberry-blonde hair.

"You know you'll always be my girl, right?" I whispered. She turned her eyes up at me, staring at me dubiously.

"You will. You'll always be my girl," I assured her in a firm voice. "I love you like my own. You have a big responsibility now...you know that, right?" She shook her head in confusion, a frown on her face.

"Well, these girls will think of you as their cool, older cousin," I explained, watching as her eyes widened and darted to the bassinets. "They'll always look up to you, kind of like I always looked up to Jasper. They'll love you unconditionally and I know you'll love them back."

Claire played the the edge of the thin blanket that I lay under. I didn't think she'd speak. I'd only heard her hours earlier for the first time. I nearly fell out of the bed when she began openly talking.

"You won't forget me?" she asked in a soft whisper, her voice quiet and delicate. Tears formed in my eyes at the very thought of _ever_ forgetting my little partner in crime.

"No, Claire. Like I told you before, you're my girl. I love you so much. I can't imagine my life without you in it again," I replied, brush a tear from my face. She turned as I moved my arm, watching as I sniffed and dried my face with the back of my hand.

"Don't cry, Auntie Bella. I love you," she whispered, reaching up to catch one last tear that somehow got away.

"I love you too, baby girl. Forever and always," I said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She smiled contently, shut her eyes and eventually fell asleep in my arms.

* * *

It was early September and hot. The Tennessee sun beat down on a man seated on a park bench near an ancient blackjack tree. The heat made him uncomfortable, especially since he wore a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He thumbed through the Memphis Daily News searching for the sports section, peering through his dark sunglasses, his dark cap tipped low on his head. As he flipped the black and white pages of the paper, he noticed a young family standing several yards away.

The young man he watched was tall with a slightly athletic frame. He was dressed casually in slacks and a white button-up shirt that was left unbuttoned near the top. His hair was the color of fire, turning more red than copper during the summertime. A blanket was clutched in his hands and the man on the bench watched as he spread the blanket across the grass beneath the low-lying branches of a shade tree.

A beautiful young woman with hair the color of mahogany smiled and laughed at something he said as she pushed a double-stroller beside the blanket. The young couple opened a wicker picnic basket that sat nearby, and the man watched as she fixed her beau a plate of good, homemade southern food. The man smiled appreciatively and the couple ate quietly, occasionally glancing at the babies who slept quietly in the double stroller. From time to time the young woman would look saucily at her beau through her long, thick lashes, giggling as he whispered into her ear, a sexy smirk on his handsome, chiseled face.

Two other couples and a child no more than ten-years old joined the couple, clutching picnic baskets of there own. One of the men was big and burly, but held a gentle smile on his dimpled face. A beautiful woman with the looks of a super model stood by his side, one arm wrapped around his waist and one arm resting on the shoulders of the child by her side. The beautiful woman's hair shone beneath the sunlight, casting a halo-like glow around her head. The child by her side was thin and small with a strawberry-blonde braid running down her back. Her face was spattered with freckles and she smiled happily at the couple sitting on the blanket, her mouth and arms moving frantically.

The man on the bench narrowed his eyes as they lingered on the other couple. The young man he glared at had shaggy blonde curls and deep blue eyes. He held a lazy smirk on his face...a trademark grin for the past several years. He wore a baby blue shirt and faded jeans. A pixie of a girl with short, raven hair stood in front of him, leaning against him as he wrapped his arms around her. She raised her head, staring back at him and they had some unspoken moment that made the man on the bench sick with disgust. There was no one the man on the bench hated more than Jasper Swan, except maybe Edward Cullen.

Apparently it was the little girl's birthday. As the couples spread out more blankets on the crisp grass, the shapely blonde beauty opened a large, plastic container holding a homemade chocolate cake. She strategically placed colorful candles along the top of the cake and Jasper lit each of them with a silver lighter. The all laughed, sang and clapped the birthday song to the little girl who beamed at them all happily. She blew out the candles and pressed her eyelids together, silently making a wish. The man chuckled to himself as he was sure she wasn't making the wish that she needed to make.

The family eventually abandoned their slices of chocolate birthday cake and were taking turns passing the infant twins around. The summer sun shone down on their heads and their copper-colored hair practically glowed beneath the sunlight. The man's eyes narrowed as his object of affection, the one person he'd loved his entire adult life, scooted next to her fiance and allowed him to pull her into his arms. She was still shapely from the baby weight and the man hoped she'd lose the extra pounds from her pregnancy. She didn't look right without her skinny arms and legs which, even with her short stature, seemed to go on for miles. He grunted in disgust at the couple, red-hot anger boiling inside of him. The girl was his. She'd always been his, since the age of ten. She was everything he'd ever dreamed of, but didn't allow herself to be. _That would soon change_, he thought to himself, an evil grin spreading across his face. _If things go according to my plans_.

_Ah, yes,_ he thought to himself. _Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle Cullen...they would all pay dearly for what they did to me_. But Edward would pay first, because he had something that belonged to him.

He grinned and hummed to himself, standing and tucking his newspaper beneath one arm as he made his way to the monorail as well, leaving the happy families behind. Whistling, he stood at the gate patiently waiting and boarded the large machine when it returned. He people watched for a while, noticing a familiar head of dark hair in a crowd nearby. He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the man in the throng of people boarding the monorail, but the head of dark hair disappeared. James laughed to himself and shook his head. No, it couldn't be who he thought it was. He'd never be so stupid to return to Memphis again. Not after what James heard happened to him.

James spent the better part of the evening watching the picnic in the park. By the time he made it down Front Street the sun began to slowly sink in the distance, illuminating the dirty streets of Memphis with a gentle orange glow. He shoved his hands deep in his pants, cringing at the sight of his mangled skin as the action shoved the sleeves of his shirt up slightly.

He straightened them out, hiding his marred skin, internally cursing Bella for what she'd done to him. She was a very, very bad girl. He'd take his time punishing her for what she'd done to him, but he would eventually forgive her. It wasn't her fault, after all. The Cullen family lured her in, hook, line and sinker. They'd brainwashed her into becoming something she was not. She was not meant to be a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt. She was born to be a cold-hearted killer, just as he'd been. It'd take some time convincing her of the truth, but he had his ways of torturing someone to submit to his will. He was confident Bella would eventually break. He wouldn't stop until she did.

James sauntered down the sidewalk towards the parking garage where his old Chevy was stowed. It was a beat up piece of shit, but it was the best he could do considering the circumstances. He'd stolen it back in Mississippi, but the owner wouldn't mind.

_People have no worries when they're dead_, he thought to himself, chuckling as he pictured the face of the man he'd first murdered and then stole his vehicle. The man's face was rugged with a thick mustache and lined with years of mistakes and regrets. The fellow would never consume his time wondering what could have been. James took care of that for him.

The parking garage was dark and he'd parked the Chevy deep inside, in the only parking space he'd found available. Some kind of festival was happening on Beale Street and the only sounds in the parking garage was an occasional bark of drunken laughter or the squeal of happy teenage girl getting felt-up by her boyfriend.

A strange, eerie feeling crept over him as he walked further into the dim parking garage. His eyes darted around noticing that several of the lights were busted out.

_Probably by a bunch of drunk kids_, he thought to himself, shaking the feeling off and laughing at his absurdities. That's when _she_ appeared.

A tiny woman wearing a drooping black robe and little else sauntered out from between his Chevy and the purple Impala that sat by it's side. The woman wore a black corset and tight, black leather pants beneath the robe. The hood encased her face in shadows, blocking his view of her face. He stood frozen as he watched her reach and pull the hood from where it draped over her forehead. She looked young, probably twenty-three or twenty-four years of age. Her face was pale like a vampire and she had shiny hazel eyes that stared solemnly at him. Her face was thin and narrow, her lips painted a bold red color, standing out strikingly against her pale face. James and the young woman stood there staring silently at one another for a long moment before she finally spoke.

"Are you ready for judgment day, James Hunter?" she asked in a low voice, tinged with a hint of a northern accent.

James hated northerners, but felt no disgust for this woman. No, he held nothing but fear in his heart. His mother told him stories about the grim reaper as a young boy. James's mother was Cajun, and a heavy believer in the supernatural. She'd educated him thoroughly on such subjects. He felt his spoiled arms tremble as the woman continued to watch him, her face void of emotion.

"Please," he whispered in a pleading tone, his voice sounding weak even to his own years. "Leave me be! Spare my life!"

The woman searched his face for a moment. Searching for what, he wasn't sure. Her red lips finally turned up in a menacing grin.

"Beg," she demanded. "On your knees."

James immediately fell to the concrete ground, his eyes glancing around the dark parking garage silently praying that someone would notice what was going on. But the garage was empty. There was no more drunken laughter. No, the people of this town were far too busy on Beale Street to worry with James Hunter. They were sitting in Blue's clubs, bars or buying dolls and incense at the Voodoo store. James Hunter was nothing but a ghost to them.

"Please spare me my life," he pleaded, placing his hands flat on the ground as he stared up at the woman. "Please, I'll do anything! Just spare me my life." The woman's grin turned even more spiteful, even more evil as she glowered down at him.

"Beg better," she whispered, closing her eyes dramatically and pulling the hood back over her head.

She raised her hands in front of her and the action terrified James. What sort of wicked spell was she about to cast? James began begging with all he had, pleading for his life and sobbing as he lay his face against the cold, concrete ground. Eventually his voice faded away as he became overcome with exhaustion. The only sounds were the echoes of his sobs in the building. Suddenly, a new, unfamiliar female voice rang out in the large room.

"Okay, that's enough of this shit," the voice said, causing his racing heart to gallop in his chest. "We let you do your grim reaper bullshit, Carmen. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, Tia. I'm super happy," the voice of the grim reaper said in a perky tone.

"I don't know why you wanted to wear that damn robe anyway," the girl named Tia huffed, aggravated.

"It's for dramatical effects, bitch," Carmen snapped.

"_Dramatical_ is not even a word," Tia groaned.

James chanced a look up and saw a petite black woman with short hair now standing next to the grim reaper. She wore a shirt with an anime cartoon character on the front, dark washed jeans, and a terrifying grimace on her face. As she stared down at James in hate, he realized that he was suddenly more afraid of this woman than he was the grim reaper.

"What's up you dickless bastard?" the girl asked with a raised eyebrow. "Carmen giving you a hard time? Not that you don't deserve it you _child molester_!"

"Pervert!" Carmen suddenly screamed, kicking him in the ribs with her high-heeled boot. James winced in pain, but secretly knew that he had the upper hand with these two strange females.

"Pedophile," Tia accused, shaking her head in distaste.

She had a huge blue and red Icee in her hand that she promptly dumped right on his head. He cringed as the sweetly flavored ice poured over his new crew-cut, a hairstyle he'd adapted to prevent anyone from identifying him by his previously long hair.

"Sexual deviant," Carmen piped up, her hazel eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Bitch, a sexual deviant has sex with trees and shit," Tia argued, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the girl. "I mean, he's a pedophile and a child rapist, but I don't think he's a _sexual deviant_."

"No, a sexual deviant likes sexual things that are considered abnormal. Child rape and molestation would be two of those things," Carmen argued with her friend.

"I'm pretty sure it means he likes to get down with horses and goats," Tia argued back.

"No, that's _bestiality_," Carmen corrected, holding her chin high as her friend glowered at her.

As the two girls continued to bicker amongst themselves, James stood up, brushing the crushed ice from his body. The two girls paid him no attention as an evil smirk crossed his face. He took a step forward, images of what he planned on doing to them creeping through his mind. His boot didn't even touch the floor when he felt the cool metal muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his skull.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a familiar male voice drawled. "These gals get pretty ornery when you step on their toes."

James slowly turned and stared in horror at the man wielding the gun to his head. It was G, a one time member of the militia that James spent an intricate amount of time in. James never liked G. He was a hothead and cocky as hell, always thinking he was a little smarter than everyone else around him. James narrowed his eyes at his old acquaintance who simply grinned in response. A cigarette hang from his lips and G took a deep drag before spitting it out and blowing the smoke in James's face.

"Where's Leah at, James?" G asked, the cocky grin slowly fading away as he stared into his cold, dead eyes. "Where's my adoptive sister?"

"Leah? Leah's in prison!" James said, his eyes wide with surprise. "I thought you knew that, G. I thought everyone knew that."

"You expect me to believe that you pulled yourself from a burning cabin without any help?" G asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Yes, G! I swear it! I got loose and pulled myself from the cabin! Don't shoot me G! Please don't shoot me!"

G tilted his head to the side, slowly searching the man's face for any falsity in his statement. He grunted when he found none, cocking the gun and pressing it firmly to his forehead. James's eyes widened in horror. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. The two girls yelped as the back of his head blew off, spraying the nearby Impala with blood and brain matter. James stood there for a second, his eyes still wide as they stared at a smirking G. His body suddenly went limp as a noodle and he slumped to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Ew, you got blood on me, G," Carmen muttered, wiping the red droplets of blood from her face with the long sleeve of her robe.

"I'm sorry darlin'. I'll make it up to you later," he told her with a grin, causing her to giggle and her cheeks to turn red.

"God, get a room. Sick freaks," Tia muttered, kicking James with the toe of her sneaker. "Are you sure he's dead? This is usually the part of the story where the supposedly dead guy pops up and says 'Aghhhhhh!'"

The three of them stood there for a moment, staring down at the dead man who had yet to move. The blood pooled up from beneath his head, trailing over to where the girls stood. They both stepped back to prevent getting their shoes any dirtier than they already were.

"Nah, he's dead," G proclaimed, glancing around the parking garage and then at his watch. Just as scheduled, a dark car pulled into the garage, quickly heading in their direction. A large muscular man with brown eyes and dark hair stepped out of the car, shooting Tia a wink and popping the trunk. She smiled in response and leaned against the Chevy watching as G and Sam quickly tossed the body in the back of the car on top of a tarp.

"Call me later, T," Sam said with a sparkling smile. "I just got the new Naruto movie in the mail. I ordered it just for you."

"Fanfuckingtabulous," Tia smirked, giving me a smile that matched his own.

"Are we done killing folks now?" Carmen asked the boys, removing her robe and fluffing her matted-down hair.

"Almost," G responded, removing a bottle of bleach from the trunk where James stared blankly at him.

G unscrewed the cap and poured it over the puddle of blood on the concrete. He gestured for Carmen to hand him her robe and she did so. He threw it over the puddle, bending down and mopping up the mess. When he was convinced he'd left little evidence, he tossed the robe in a garbage bag he'd removed from the trunk.

"What do you mean 'almost'?" Carmen asked, her face twisted thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure Leah's really in prison," G responded, shrugging.

"Well, that's easy enough to find out. I'll just look it up on the internet. The state department of corrections website shows all the pictures and information on the inmates," Carmen replied, pulling her cell from her pocket.

"Appearances can be deceiving, when you know the right people," G muttered, slamming the trunk and lighting another cigarette. "Things can be arranged. People can be made to look like they're in places where they're really not."

The smell of bleach and smoke wafted around the group who was surprisingly in no hurry to vacate the area. And why should they be? G and Sam made damn sure to destroy any video footage of the area. Months of G following James had finally paid off. And the sad part of it all was that Bella would never know. She'd never know what her small group of friends had done for her, what risks they'd taken on their lives.

"Wait. Is Leah the bitch with the sword and whip?" Tia asked, remembering the unbelievable story that Bella once told her of the home invasion.

"That's her," G confirmed, taking a deep drag of his cigarette, his eyes suddenly thoughtful and serious.

"Oh, hell no. I don't mess with swords and whips. Y'all are on your on with that hussy. I'm out. Call me Sam...when y'all get rid of the peen-less prick."

"Sexual deviant," Carmen muttered, following closely behind her friend. The two disappeared into the darkness leaving Sam and G behind, shaking their heads and chuckling at their two girls.

Sam slid into the dark car and G casually followed, joining him in the passenger side. G tossed the filter of his cigarette out of the window as the two slowly rolled out of the parking garage and into the night. His eyes lingered on an apartment building that they passed nearby; an apartment building where a young woman once lived, believing that she was effectively hiding from the world.

"Leah _is_ in prison," Sam spoke up, breaking the silence between the two men. "Edward and Carlisle had it checked out. Edward is very thorough with everything, especially when it comes to Bella."

"Oh, yeah. Edward's just perfect, isn't he?" G smirked sarcastically, sliding his eyes to meet Sam's. "That's why he lied to Bella about the girl Bree causing a scene at his office? When the truth is that_ I_ was the one there causing the scene?"

Sam grimaced, remembering the day he stared into Bella's eyes and told her a bold-faced lie. G showed up at Edward's office that day, demanding to speak to him. Sam and Ben left Edward and Bella's house under the guise of helping their boss remove a girl from the building. Bella should have known better. It doesn't take three grown men to remove a ninety-five pound girl from a building.

The truth, the cold, hard truth was that G arrived at Edward's office that day to pass on some important information. Word among his tight-knit circle of friends was that James never died in that fire. Somehow he escaped, with or without the assistance of someone else remained a mystery.

Rumor had it that Jacob Black hired Leah after James approached Jacob, offering to help him kill Edward Cullen. Jacob hired Leah to help kidnap Bella and murder Edward. What no one planned on was Jacob and Leah secretly falling in love.

Once Leah found out that Edward murdered her lover, she made it her personal mission to take away the one thing Edward cherished the most. Bella Swan. Garrett didn't believe Leah was really in prison. No, he believed Leah was hiding in those woods near the burning cabin, waiting and watching. She was there for her revenge.

"I hope she really is in prison, Sam old boy," Garrett drawled, pulling his cell from his pocket and turning it on.

He stared down at the slack-faced person whose's inmate photo glowed from the screen. The picture told him everything he needed to know. It told him that Leah was, indeed, locked up in a Georgia prison. Twenty-five to life for an old homicide that she committed, but didn't commit on her own. A knot of guilt formed in his belly but he quickly brushed it aside as he turned the cell off and shoved it deep in his pocket.

"Are the kids cute?" he asked out of the blue, staring into Sam's startled brown eyes. Sam nodded slowly, a small, fond smile on his face.

"Yeah, they're good-looking kids. They have Edward's hair, but they look like Bella."

Garrett nodded thoughtfully as Sam pulled up at the seedy motel Garrett spent the last few months living in. They parted ways, both of them nodding quietly to one another as Sam pulled back onto the dark Tennessee road.

As he stood there he mused over the fact that Bella and Edward's children would have a childhood that Garrett, nor Bella, ever dreamed of. They'd never worry about being beaten or abused or going to bed hungry at night. Bella was the perfect mother; sweet, nurturing and dysfunctional enough to keep things interesting, yet safe. Edward would defend Bella and his children with his life. He was protective to the point of overbearing, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, at least, not in this situation.

But still, Garrett decided it was better to be safe than sorry. The sounds of Gladys Knight crooning 'Midnight Train to Georgia' drifted through the broken windows of a nearby dilapidated home. He smiled to himself, thinking it possibly an omen...maybe karma. Who knows? He shrugged, not knowing exactly what he believed in anymore. There was only one person he'd been able to rely on in his lifetime; himself.

Garrett stood there for a moment before removing his cell once more, scrolling down his list of many contacts until he found the number he needed. He pressed his thumb over the number and held the phone to his ear, his eyes scanning the empty street in front of him.

"Amtrak. How can I help you?" a bored feminine voiced asked with a yawn.

"I need to purchase a train ticket," Garrett muttered, placing a cigarette between his lips and lighting it. "One way."

"Well, sir, we'll be happy to help you. Where are you traveling to?" the voice inquired, suddenly perky with the prospect of business.

"Georgia," Garrett drawled with a wistful smile, taking a deep drag of the cigarette and blowing the stinging smoke through his nose. "I'm going to see an old friend in Georgia."

**THE END**

* * *

Sequel? Yes or no? Let me know in your review! Honestly, it's already written...in my head. But it's awesome, I swear. Okay, don't forget to follow me. I'm about to post my new WIP **Dirty South Drug Wars **as soon as I post this epi so be sure to check it out! I even put on my big girl britches and got me an awesome beta named AliCat0623 :)

People I want to thank: my readers/reviewers of course. My RL Tia and Carmen for allowing me to take their little quirks and blow them up into completely ridiculous epic proportions. My mother (LOL) who will never read this (thank God) for being a crazy person who loved dragging their little girl all over the dangerous, dirty streets of Memphis every time she became bored. I swear I breathed in more weed smoke from concerts before I turned twelve than anyone.

If y'all are ever in the Memphis area, holler at me:) We can hang on Beale, get drunk on Chocolate Thunder at Wet Willie's, hang out at BB King's Blues Club and of course there's Memphis in May (AKA Beale Street Music Festival); three days of watching drunken southerners make complete fools out of themselves while rocking out to some awesome bands.

I love you all! :)


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